Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-01
NEVADA GAMBLING
DWARFS D|VORC|NG
New Casinos Rumored at
Reno as Election Time
Is Approaching.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
RENO, New, April l (N.A.N.A).-
at shall be lawful in Nevada to deal,
play and carry on, open and conduct,
any game of faro, monte, roulette, keno,
fan-tan, blackjack, seven and-a-half,
big Injun, xlondyke, craps, stud poker,
draw poker, or what you will, under
license.
1T shall be lawful to seek and
secure, after six weeks of residence
within the boundaries of the State, a
divorce from any court in the State.
In Reno, long established as divorce
center, the interest in "wide-open"
gambling, made possible by these lib
eralized laws enacted by the recent Ses-
sion of the Legislature, distinctly over
shadows that or the new divorce
program.
Freedom Is Boosted.
The gambling law, under which prac-
tically all forms of games of chance
are made legal, is now effective. The
whir of roulette wheels, the clatter of
dice, the click of chips and cash and
the soft, mechanical drone of suave,
sharp-faced dealers, pale under their
green eyeshades, are in order.
Heard repeated often now is the boast
of Gov. Salzar that Nevada is the only
free State left in the Union"
Mayor Roberts of Reno, tall, rugged,
former Representative, former pioneer
school teacher, father-in-law of Wal
ter johnson of base ball fame, finds the
change to his liking. He is divorce
lawyer himself, with a reputed record
of winning 1000 suits and losing one.
IT believe III letting every man do
Just what he wants." says the mayor,
$50 long as he does not interfere with
the rights of others-you can't make
people moral by law"
Results Observed.
What will be the reNlltsP From an
outsider, SamGel @. Blythe, nationally
known writer. who was among those
the wide-open conditions of Nevada
have been greatly exaggerated in the
press throughout the country"
From an insider, Jimmy" Welsh,
man of the desert, known through the
mining camps as Jimmy the Crab:
you'll always have gambling, whether
you like it or not, and you might as
well make it legal. Things win be more
honest. There will be less cheating"
1t was Jimmy the Grab" who dared
enter the stronghold of the opposition
during the period of agitation before
the passage of the wide-open gambling
law. Dressed in his shiny best and
shaven to the point of irritation, he APP
peared before the Reno Womens Citi-
zens' Club, which was fighting the pro-
posal under the leadership of Mrs. Mary
Franzman, Republican national COM
mitteewoman from Nevada.
Few Opposed Bills.
"The trouble with you peor'e." said
Jimmy, whose reputation includes a
willingness to sneak on all subjects. sis
that you don't know anything about
gambling Say, I was raised in home
back East where cards wasn't even al
lowed in the House. What happened?
I could play poker before / was Is.
have been gambling all my life and I'm
going to gamble the rest Of my life"
Jimmy was the only speaker of the
evening who received no applause, but
he had had his say. He went away
contented.
The gambling bill, as well as the six
weeks divorce bill, passed the Legisla-
ture with surprisingly little opposition.
Those supporting the former argued
that gambling had been carried on ille-
rally anyway since the passage of a
prohibitoFy law in 1910 They favored
a return to regulatory methods.
state Lacks Rum Law.
Licensed gambling, it was declared,
would prevent graft by local officials
and would insure an income for State,
county and city governments, among
which the fees provided in the law are
divided Cities also receive the right TO
charge additional license fees by or
dinance.
The sheriff of each county is the off,
cial upon whom falls the burden OF en-