Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-03
GAMBLING craze
SEXES BERLIN;
many SCANDALS
Emperor William Is Leading
the Crusade Against Vice
Craze Strikes Rich and
Poor Alike.
BY Karl n. Won Wisgand.
(Berlin Correspondent of the United
Press)

~ bN0VI VOU VvSV8~ssNs
Berlin Correspondent of the United
Press.)
Berlin. Nov, 1.-The gambling craze
has reached such proportions in Ber-
lin that the government Is preparing
to take rigorous measures to sup
press 1t.
Few weeks pass without some gamb-
ling scandal. Suicides, defalcations.
flights and disgrace, directly attrib-
utable to the gaming passion and
gambling losses have never been SO
numerous in Berlin as lately. Only
few weeks ago two Of the city's lead
ing lawyers disappeared. One was
found dead in the Seine at Paris, let
tiers in his pocket telling of his ruin
through gaming. The other has not
yet been found. Gambling. too, had
been his ruin.
Emperor william is taking the in
itiative in the campaign against the
craze. His attention was forcibly
called to 1t by the recent ruin and
dismissal in disgrace from the army
of several officers.
Gambling among the thrifty Ger
mans was formerly a pleasure INDUCED
in only by the rich. They went to
Cairo, Monte Carlo or the Riviera Now
1t has become almost mania. If
Documents of Great City" just pub
lished. can be credited, the rich gamble,
the middle class gamble, the office
clerks gamble and even a large per-
eentage of women play poker, ocarte,
bridge or bet on races The names OF
II officers, including the son of a gen.
eral, are said to have been handed
in to the higher military authorities
recently as being unable to pay their
debts of honor"
The gambling mania is attributed to
the "Americanism" of Berlin, to the
prosperity of Germany and to the eX-
travagance of certain classes. which
has created a get quick" spirit
among the people.
| Berlin in a quarter of century has
become luxurious capital. 1t rivals
London and Paris and seeks to wrest
from these any 'laurels for being the
greatest city in Europe. The personal
freedom of life in Berlin. the elaborate
social functions, the brilliant court
life and the wealth of entertainment,
have attracted a cosmopolitan popula-
|
Viennese gaiety. Partisan wickedness
and an American spirit OF taking a
chance"
In no city in Europe, perhaps in no
city in the world, can one enjoy as
much personal liberty. There is no
lid" There are no restrictive closing
ordinances upon cafes. Many Of them
keep open all night. Some do not open
until / o'clock in the morning.
! OF political and social clubs as exist
in London and New York there are
few in Berlin. Clubs whose sole ex-
cuse for existing, is to provide place
for gambling, are numerous. An
American introduced this kind of "cluh
life" 1t took" The Germans were
not as slow as they had been thought
Other clubs were quickly started.
j Playing Is often for high stakes. A
professional gambler some time ago
ruined prominent Prussian landown-
er by winning s16O,000 from him in a
few hours. In the same club a Ber-
lin banker lost $4,000 in one evening
! The introduction OF horse racing
largely because 1t is English sport
has been followed by tire attendant
evil of betting. Restricted betting at
the tracks by system under which
the government gets its rake off. y
was soon followed by all kinds of
schemes to evade paying the govern
ment its share. Now a bet from 10
cents up can be placed at many cigar
stores and the government is busy
trying to suppress this form Of pool
selling, but with little result
Gambling among Germans may in a