New Britain herald., 1929-04-15
l6 LOTTERY LAW
 VI0LAT0RS FINED
(Continued from First Page)

Britain that the authorities are in censed. The detectives. he said, have been vigilant and numerous complaints have been received against the promiscuous dealing in treasury balance tickets ''on the highways and byways,' including smoke shops. barber shops and oth- CT places Of business.
 For the past 10 or le years the growth of the business has been at an alarming rate" he asserted, and those who have been fined in court in the past have thought little of it., but the police department and yonr prosecutor will conduct a relentless warfare against it." T don't care who 1t affects or where the blow strikes" he declared. Some peo- pie may think it is joke. but it is no joke" The legislature, he said, had in mind violations of the nature committed by those who deal in treasury balance tickets when the statute was enacted.
 Everyone in town who is out of a job wants to sell lottery tickets and some of them want no other job, Mir. Woods continued. some ot them have no visible means Of sup port--'' and Judge Mangan :n- terrupted to accuse the prosecuting attorney of being very unfair, as there was nothing about the sltu- ation before the court to warrant such a statement.
 In conclusion, Mr. Woods said he would make no recommendation as to penalties in the sixteen eases, but would leave the matter in the hands of the court.
 Judge Mangan, replying 10 the prosecuting attorney, said there was nothing serious about the situation as he viewed 1t, and certainly the legislature did not intend to have the maximum penalty imposed in cases such as those before the court The statute on breach of the peace provides 3 years sentence but the court is not in the habit of enforc- ing it to the limit, he said.
 Who suffers or who is being damaged by this lottery" he asked. The tickets cost 65 cents and some 50 cents. A man in the factory spends that much money for ticket and he has a chance of winning s1,000, and I want to say right here that the lottery as conducted in this city, IS absolutely on the level and there is nothing crooked about It. Nobody can say any complaints have been made that a winner did not get his money.
 Now. anyone buying a ticket for 65 or 50 cents gets his money $ worth out of it in fun whether he wins anything or not he continued. They get as much fun out Of plan ming about spending the money be- fore they win ii, as some Of us who pay B or $3 to go 10 q show. Ii you want to come right down to 1t. and enforce every law as the prose- cutor talks about enforcing this one, we all would have to be hermits.
 As a matter of fact, strictly speaking, every bridge party held in this city is against the law, for val uable things are played for and play myself. That's gambling, tech- nically. and so is the stock market If MT. Woods wants to do something real good along this line, why not get after the stock market, where stenographers and bookkeepers are playing more than they can afford
 NOW as 1 see it, there is no harm in gambling. unless 1t is for things I cannot afford Or unless someone is damaged. Tn this situation which is before the court today. we pleaded nolo contendere, not that We are en- titled to any great credit for that, because I realize that the stae could produce evidence of violations of the law. Undoubtedly we should he fined. some probably more than others. because for some of these fellows it is their first offense.
 Now l want to say one more thing with relation to the lottery as it is conducted in New Britain and that is the ge-all gambling you know, is percentages the play is SO widespread that the playri gets a good run for his money. Per. haps someone may wonder at ny familiarity with the terms ot gambling. but ] do know all about them, There IS nothing to get eX.