The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-03

Ana since there are Americans who would have us emulate the dictators of Europe, it pays to study the manner in which this racket, when nurtured by dic- tatorship, became more fragrant and ruthless in Louisiana than anywhere in the United States.
 Gambling in New Orleans may be divided into four categories, all of them lush sources of graft: CD the "handbooks," which are pool parlors that take bets on horse races; (2) the lottery, or numbers racket; (3) the slot machines; and (N the open gambling establish ments which feature dice games, roulette, Klondike and almost everything else.
 All of these operate with the approval end protection of the little group of brass-hat dictators who have carried on after Huey Long.
 SUMPTUOUS GAMBLING
 One of the largest gambling es- tablishments in the city, for in- stance, is 118ia Baronne street, just few doors from the Jesuit church and operated under the protection of Seymour Weiss. bosom pal of Huey Long, who re- gently was indicted on charge of selling the furnishings of the Bienville hotel twice to Louisiana State University.
 Actual managers of "118h" are Joe Brown and Eugene Smith, professional gamblers from Texas. How complete is the protection enjoyed by this lush joint is llus- trated by the fact that when the Club Forest, an adjacent dining and dancing place. started to cut in on its business some years ago, Huey Long closed the Club For est tight.
 "118H" Is a sumptu0us estab- lishment - air conditioned, fur nished with every form of
 gambling from bird-cage to roulette "squeeze wheel" and with total equipment costing at least S100,000. But on the tax books of New Orleans. its furni- ture and fixtures are assessed at a paltry S1,000 and the total tax which this magnificent place pays to the city is an infinitesi- nal $31.49. To the State of Louisiana "118A" pays only S13.32 annually, making a total tax bill, both state and city, of but S44.81.
 It pays to be a part of the Huey Long machine.
 POLICE PROTECTION
 Since gambling is illegal in Louisiana, all houses operate with police protection, and an inves- tigation once conducted by State Senator Jimmy Noe indicated that the pay-off began with the officer on the beat and got progressively more generous as it extended to the men at the top. Some New Orleans police actually have built swank $25,000 mansions on Ven- dome Place, in the most fashion able part of town.
 Among those who appear to en- joy more than the ordinary police favors is The Casino, which op- crates one of the largest Keno games in the city and is run by James Brocato, alias Jimm, Moran, an ex-convict who is the close friend of Mayor Maestri Moran rides about the city pub- licly with Maestri, attends prize fights and ball games with him, and was a colonel on the staff of Governor Leche until the latter resigned.
 Moran's partner in operating The Casino is Jerry Woods. who also served time in Atlanta. An- other partner is Adam Smith. re- gently released from then federal penitentiary for smuggling.
 This joint does a thriving busi- ness in the Oster Brothers old wagon factory. in front of which a Negro in full uniform used to be stationed to receive customers. When Mayor Maestri heard about the doorman he told Moran to fire him. The uniform attracted too much attention.
 NOTE - Maestri's friend
 Moran beasts that he Is the
 best-dressed man in New Or-
 leans, having 300 suits Of clothes, several hundred dollars worth of