The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-05-22


 live issue these days" stated Rev. Dr. John c. Walker, pastor of the Second Congregational church yes- terday morning in his sermon, Isn't All of Life a Gambler"
 He said in part: A great many people are involved in the discus sion of the ethics of the business. We hear and we read the arguments for and against the legislation of various games of chance. A great many interesting questions are brought forward in support of this game or that The deeper some peo- pie get into the question the more confused they appear to be. Some say, well, after all, isn't every form of business 8 risk, a speculation? You put up your money and take your chance. Maybe you win, maybe you lose" Another man will say, "Now look here, parson, you say you don't believe in rallies and lotteries; what about the stock market? Isn't that the worst gambling game in the country? Look at the millions that are own and lost thereP" Still another says, "You can't stop man taking a chance. Why shouldn't the state get its share of the money through a pari-mutual rather than let the gamblers get it all?" Here's a high school boy who wants to know about the matter. well, what's wrong with gambling anyway? Doesn't everybody have more or less of the gambling spirit? Isn't every business a form of gambling? Isn't all life gambler"
 Now almost all honest and thoughtful people are agreed that commercial gambling and all these commercial facilities for gambling, lotteries, pari-mutuels, slot machines punchboards, pinball games are sucker games with which the public is robbed of hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars every year. Surely there are few who will con- tend that any of these enterprises are in the public interest. You might just as well argue that a few more gangsters would make life more in- teresting for the police, the report CTS and the public generally. Any considerable amount of gambling is a social evil with appalling conse- quences. Sadly enough, the gamb- ling enterprises in this country after being held under reasonable control for some 40 years, up to the begin ming of the depression, have begun to prosper again. Since 1930 gamb- ling enterprises and concessions have been springing up like toadstools all over the country. Something for nothing has strong appeal to weak minds in times of depression.
 And there is psychological ap- proach to this gambling menace which is highly dangerous. There are people who argue that there is vast amount of gambling going on in any case. Why then should not the state profit through pari-mutu- els? Taxes on racing in some states do reach surprising totals but what about the overhead? The tax is a certain percentage of the profits, who gets the lions share and where does it go? Suppose we can save ourselves some taxes through gamb- ling concessions, is it worth our while to pauperize our fellowcitizens for the purpose? It doesn't sound like good business. Whats more, don't you think the politicians have a sufficient number of temptations to easy money now without putting them in 8 position to deal with the organized gambling fraternity? The Irish hospitals do 8 lot of social ser vice and get a lot of American money, do they? Well. if you are in- terested, l can give you report on gambling in Ireland other than for the hospital sweepstakes which might make you wonder whether the game is worth the dandle even at that?
 And don't let us be led astray by arguments to the effect that ganb- ling under good auspices and for good causes, with proper restraint and for mere amusement, will serve Q useful purpose. I believe that one of our fellowcitizens has sponsored Q bill proposing that the playing of certain games of chance under cer- tain auspices for the aid of the poor, shall not be considered ganib- ling. An interesting proposal that Q proposal to reverse the dictionary, at least on Q small scale. ! think niy- self that you could help the poor to better advantage by teaching them that the business of trying to gel something for nothing s mighty