The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-03-06

rs discuss the subject matter, TO some
going is that the general public Is
not opposed to gambling.
For my own part / am not opposed
to gambling when the game is on the
square and in fact for 81 years ! per-
sonally engaged in the worst gambling
game on record (dry-land farming)
where the cards were all stacked
against me. | am however vigorously
opposed to crooked gambling and the
debauching of our elected public Of
ficials and so far as the gambling
racket is concerned that evil could
easily be corrected by licensed form
of gambling in the state and | have
advocated such procedure for the
last two years.
Naturally | have met with consid-
cradle opposition from people who are
opposed to gambling on moral grounds
and much more bitter opposition
from the type of people who are bene-
ficiaries of the racket" but strange
to say none whatever from the gam
blers themselves.
Now to those who are opposed to
gambling on moral ground we have
only this to say We have no quarrel
with your opposition whatsoever, but
we are dealing with fact, not a the
DRY. We have the gambling and de-
spite the gambling law on our statute
books gambling runs wide open which
is an indication that the public wants
it or is not sufficiently interested to
stop it. In addition the protection
money paid by the operators goes to
dehauch our officials sworn to uphold
the law and when public officials are
debauched in this manner the state
itself is corrupted. How much better
then would it be, so long as we seem
fated to have this gambling, to have
it licensed and take the money de-
rived from good stiff license fee for
old age pensions and other relief pur-
poses.
This would meet practically no OPP
position from the operators of gam
bling games or machines, in fact their
attitude is this. make it a good stiff
license fee and require the gambling
to be on the square we would rather
pay stiff license fee and know that
we were operating legally than to pay
an equal or larger fee in protection
which does not give us real guaran-
tee of protection"
Mr., Average Citizen himself does
not object, at least not very strenuous
ly, otherwise there would be more
complaints about gambling games and
machines and more arrests, Whence
then comes the vigorous opposition to
a licensing of gambling? Chiefly
from those who are opposed to gam
bling on moral grounds, the benefit
Charles of the protection money racket,
and another group sometimes termed
mice Nellies" who "yowI" loudly
about 1t in public but make no effort
to take an initiative step toward stop
ping it, and of these three groups the
most vociferous and bitter opposition
to licensed gambling comes from the
of the racket.
Now to the group opposed on moral
| have one pertinent remark
to make. About two years ago Path
finder Magazine published statistics
on gambling in the United States
showing that of all the money spent
in gambling the highest percentage
(29%) came through CHURCH LOT
TERIES" with other types of games
Of chance carrying decreasing per-
centage on down the line. Let this
have some bearing on your future at
titude toward the problem.
TO the group termed commonly
Mice Nellies" we need only say eff
you are opposed to gambling as you
say, quit talking about it and do some
thing, for you have it in your power"
When you oppose legalizing gam
bling you are only lending the weight
Of your opposition to the beneficiaries
Of the racket, those who receive pro-
lection money which does not protect
and the racketeers who are anxious to
operate the crooked games and ma
chimes. These opponents of legalized
gambling will spend mice slug of
money in lobbying against a gambling
license law and, aided by the Mice
Nellies" and those who are sincerely
to gambling on moral grounds,
will threaten with defeat legislators
who would conscientously vote to en-
let such law
A licensed gambling law would yield
n revenue approximately four million
lolars annually. This could be ap-
,ortioned one-fourth to the city, one
ourth to the county and one-half to
he state. In cases where the town |
" city was not incorporated one-half |
ould be apportioned to the county. |
t so apportioned the fees would pro-
-ide for quite a considerable number
# aged and INDECENT persons and we
would have the additional satisfaction
" knowing that protection money |
rom gambling was not contributing |
o the debauchery of our public Of
icials.
LAVERNE HAMILTON.
lear Editor:
Still believing the Peoples Voice is
s its name indicates and an open
Drum for public and personal opinion
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