The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-05-30
COURT HOUSE NEWS
Grand Jury Report

oenort Of the granu Jun
j. q foliG gonorable, the Judges OF tne
TO the fon IN Carroll County,
Circuit ID Jurors of the State q
,,anr ni for the BODY BODY u INTO vonr
lary tr respectfully report unoo Ill STn
county, Mo Ie Court that in care1ully
HOnoraaDttii all matters coming TO
invesng1altatnntG they have examined
t T. witnesses and found . a pa1sn.
I" nts and Indictments ehuoi'eo
True 1Taneon pttl3 the whole land, the aD-
5oonditions, due to the high ner-
rorna tonTion incident to the war nave
Ious felt by all, and from every sectlon :
Desn reports of increased crime anu
come lI We feel that it is our
inmot e. o record the fact that we be-
tuty " mot carroll county has cause
lieVe +bankful that the violation OF
10, 70 ~ within it's borders is small IN
l .aamnarison with the record In many
o liner communities.
o'T w. would call attention to the un-
vi lumber of shooting ARRAYS, In
us sinb the parties involved are for
WIZ WIZ in that they failed to lnfllct
!unI' unrnds. as indicating a grow
lAIai hohit of carrying fire arms,
lls ooiaIlv among men of the colored
ESQ spo Such a practice is a menace
10 nublic safety, and we would urge
y, pstrictest vigilance on the part OF
.ho neace officers of the county and
Wv y. arrast of all persons carrying
NV aucaaIed weapons unlawfully.
We We are impelled by the number OF
lac ~ iuvenile delinquency, that
s .are come before us, to call attention
nav tbat fact, We believe that there
va several causes accounting there
a "nr Primarily we fear that there is
ock Of proper parental example and
IiscinIine. Another chief contribut-
ing factor is the open disregard of
law and good morals on the part OF
.or,n tending to the decentralization OF
tho youth of the county, destroying in
tbpm reverence for law and inculcat-
inc a spirit of lawlessness in what
nov he considered by some persons
&C minor matters, and leading TO
more serious Offenses. We refer to
tho fact that our Investigations ind1-
c,ta that some business places. have
become places of public resort on the
Sabbath day, commonly called Sun
day and are frequented by large
Numbers of the youth of the county.
We believe that another factor is the
,ractire of some of the keepers of
noo rooms and bowling alleys in
fbe county of permitting boys to play
At their tables and alleys. We believe
that the legislature should enact a
law to prevent the frequenting of
Dublic pool rooms and bowling alleys
by boys under the age Of eighteen
wears. The chief element of danger
to the morals Of the youth of the
county is the fact that in most pool
rooms the tables are used for gaming
purposes. The legislature has seen
fit to prohibit the keeping of gaming
tables, and has declared all con-
rivances and devices by which money
or any other things are bet or
wagered, to be gaming tables, except
billiard tables. The keepers of many
pool rooms take advantage of this
fact, and gambling in billiard and
pool rooms is INDUCED to an alarm
ing extent, to the Generalization of
young as we'll as Of older men. II
as our Court of Appeals has said, ut
is the playing of a game of chance
which makes a gaming table Grim
inal" and if both by the legislature
and our Courts gambling is deemed
an evil. we are at a loss to understand
why the playing of a game of chance
on a pool table should be made an
exception. We believe that the law
should be amended and the keeping
Of all gaming tables, billiard and
pool, as well as others should be
prohibited.
We are informed that most of the
Of business places of the
county have given heed to the adj
OF former grand juries, and
have discontinued the use of slot ma
chimes, punch boards and other de-
vices and contrivances OF the nature
" games Of chance, a practice which
was general a few years age. 1t is
reported that there are a few n the
county who have failed to discontinue
Inc practice. though evidence sufti-