The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-07

ne was attempting to cross Highland ave
nue on foot. Many other valuable lives
have been sacrificed in this way and
many more will be lost, If something is
not done TO shock these reckless speed
ers INTO decent regard for the lives and
safety OF others. Men who will not use
their senses voluntarily after Titnt ss-
ing SO many distressing injuries TO taeir
fellow citizens must be forced to fear the
law and its penalties. Let us check this
eVli. gentlemen, by Indictment where the
/ evidence justifies it,
/ Gambling and Vagrancy
A special law to which I am re-
/ CURED to call your attention is the law
| against gambling. You will find in the
law In this regard in chapter 225, Begin
nlng on page $40 of the code, and also in
An act TO suppress gambling and gaming
places, approved August 25, 1909 and
| round IN the general acts of the special
session of the legislature for 1909 While
gambling in various forms has always
existed, and private games of chance are
OF TOO frequent occurrence to be totally
| oppressed by law, the fact remains that
| the professional gambler, the man who
makes his living by gambling, can GER
tainly be driven out by intelligent prose-
cution, A gambling house was declared
nuisance at common law centuries ago.
such by the law of every state in this
union. A professional gambler is declared
70 be vagrant by the laws of Alabama.
Yet there are dozens of these vaerants
operating in Birmingham at places well
crown to men ABOUT town. Their faces
are known and their names are known 20
officers of the law, and yet they continue
| TO defy authority and in some way man
| age to avoid punishment for the daily
| violations OF the law. Such men are out
laws; they live by fleeing the young bust?
iess and laboring men of this district;
they take advantage of the unwary, the
| inexperienced and the thoughtless. Every
honest mans hands ought TO be raised
against them, and yet these men are very
active In politics, use money and a va
riety of schemes to elect their favorites.
| II they had their desserts they would be
serving time for the county, whose citi-
zens they have repeatedly robbed for
years. A good many people are known
| to wink at these so-called sports and
| give them sub rosa encouragement; but
the law denounces them as vagrants and
| criminals. Public officers in most of our
| large cities have been notoriously slack in
| their enforcement of the law against the
professional gambler. The Rosenthal case
ir New York shocked the civilized world
by exposing the vice and crime of the
professional lawbreaker of the under
officials. The same conditions can easily
exist here IL public officers are not
taught that the laws are on the statute
books to be obeyed. Political dickering
with professional law breakers ought to
cease. The people are weary of sham and
fraud in these matters. A thorough in
vestigation of how professional gamblers
manage to maintain expensive places of
business in the heart of the city ought
to be had without delay. Enough evil
dence ought to be easily obtained to put
every professional gambler TO work for
the county, where he would be out of
mischief Do not these gamblers. direct
ly or indirectly. rent their rooms for gam
bling purposes from real estate dealers
at high rentals. contrary to law? Are net
their rooms located above the ground foor
and connected with poolrooms by electric
signals to warn the boys upstairs OF
approaching danger, contrary to the law,
which says that the use of electric bells
or signals for such purpose is ''prima
faoie evidence that gaming is being car
ried on by such parties when they have
the general reputation of being gam
blers? Gentlemen. | call your attention
to section 6993 of the code, which makes
it unlawful for any person to rent or lease
any room or house for gaming purposes,
or for the exhibition of any such pur-
pose. I also call your attention to section
69S5 of the code. which makes 1t felony
to keep, exhibit, or to be interested or
concerned In keeping or exhibiting any
ia BILE for gaming or whatsoever name
kind or description The good name of
our city must be restored by pnrging 1t
of these gamblers. y-ublic sentiment
ought to be aroused against them. They
are like vampires, devouring our sub
stance. and with no excuse for their ex-
stence save a mistaken indulgence of
vice, which too often leads to crime
Illegal Sale of Whisky
"A. / am also required to call your ct
tention TO another misdemeanor which
has been notoriously committed in this
county | refer to the selling of whisky.
wine or beer without a license and con-
trary to law. If you know of any viola
tions of this law or il evidence discloses
any such violations. you ought to indict
guilty parties and place the stigma of
your disapproval on the blind tiger evil,
IS. | am also required to call YOUR at
tention to 7436 of the code, which makes
1t q misdemeanor for any public officer,
deputy assistant or clerk thereof either
directly or indirectly, by himself or
through another, to purchase. deal or
traffic in any manner whatever in any
plan PAYABLE out of the county treasury
or out of the fine and forfeiture funds of
the county Investigate script buying ane
see if any officer of the law is concerned
therein and where the evidence justies
it. promptly bring indictments against
guilty parties.
80 also call your attention TO section
14Sc of the code, which makes it a mis-
demeanor for any tax assessor or deputy
tax assessor TO return the tax list of any
taxpayer as having been sworn to by
such taxpayer, when in fact II was not
thus sworn to. This law is intended to
prevent false returns of property and 1ol
guard against unequal burdens on the
taxpayers. 1t is your duty to investigate
such matters and to indict when the evil
dence justifies IT.
High Cost Of Living
- I am also required to call your at
tention especially to section 1879 of the
code and to direct you to indict where
this law is violated. The whole county is
suffering from the high price of the daily
necessities of life, and this law is in
tended to protect our people as far as pos
sible against unjust prices which enrich
the favored few. The law denounces ALI
combinations or agreements intended to
lregulate or fix the price of any article or
loommodity to be sold or produced in this
State | also call your attention to sec
ton 1880 of the code. which forbids all cor
porations and their agents to enter into
any combination for the purpose of fx-
ing the price or diminishing the produc-
ton, sale, use or consumption of any ar
ticle of commerce. For the common good