The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3463, 28 March 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1874

One of those pests of society, a professional gambler, received a just sentence at the hands of the Resident Magistrate 1 yesterday. We should not have regretted it had the others connected 1 with the disgraceful affair been pun-, ished equally. There are those who ’ carry this feeling so far as to express. the opinion that the Court should hot have allowed the withdrawal of the charge against Drake. As an aider and abettor in the assault, he may be considered particeps criminis, although it does not appear that he actually resorted to violence ‘ } and the actual perpe- ‘ trator having been sentenced, it would have had the appearance of over zeal, if not vindictiveness, had the Magistrate refused to allow the charge to be withdrawn. It was not the desert of the men, but the question of assault that was before the Court, and the condemnation of one is the condemnation of the whole of the parties in the transaction. It is seldom that bookipal^a^allojw,themselves tojjp exposed

so thoroughly as on this occasion ; and it is to be hoped that the opening out will shew the necessity for those who wish to see racing carried on in an honorable manner, to discountenance in every possible way the business, of book-making. That such a calling can be established, and made profitable, proves that much wider support is given to it than could be conferred' by professional betting men. They ate hot the customers, of “ book-makers.” They know too well what, they are about to take idsks with subh firms as Belcher and Co., and have their private books, or possibly, employ those men as their agents, in cases of difficulty of hedging. The disclosures that were made point to -a, wide spread evil that - has a -tendency to bring races into disrepute. :The prosecutor described himself as a shepherd, and possibly truly; and the amount of his indebtedness' was jthe sum of six pounds. It does ;not appear much, but it shows how bpok-ipakers live, and from what class their profits are 'Young' men' ;of - gjnall : incomes, ..to whom a! ,fe \v. pounds’ loss is a serious inconvenience, “■invert,”.- as it is -Wrongly termed? iif ;risks t tbey : have.3ao right to ruh. .They, ! cannot, take ,’iheir day's, ,'epjo v;the fresh air,and . the Excitement of *a r race meeting, without being guilty of the'folly of associating for the time with professional blacklegs,- with whom on any other occasion jthey would feel it a disgrace to be . seen. And so rapidly ..is; this evil" spreading; ’ that scarcely onp - who goes’ to witness .the races seems to think he has enjoyed; the sport unless he has had “ something on,” as the cant phrase is. The evil of having “something ori” is.that it not only very commonly means some-. ; thing out of popket; that thp lad ,or ‘adult cannot afford, but the - creation ,of a' pission for 'gambling through A 1 ;desire to .retrieve the loss. 'Th’ua loose‘habits of thought in regard to,money matters grow up, tending to peculation, discovery, disgrace, and utter ruin. The “ something on” is the support of the book-makers. We do nob ,suppose that anything the Press can urge will (altogether cure the evil. If ever eradicated it must be a work of time, through i the creation of correct public opinion. ;It would therefore be a breach of public trust not tp point, to an evil and its cause.' A little reflection should,- however, show that no firm such as Belcher and Co. can be prbsperousexciept through the ,losses of those , who have transaction swith them. They are not tradesmen, so there is no profit upon goods ; they are not producers, so there is no profit upon labor; they are not in the legitimate sense brokers, for they negotiate transactions pronounced illegal in law, and therefore they, do not earn fairly a commission for their time—there is iio arrangement of sale and purchase: Thenprofits depend almost solely upon others’ losses.- Anyone engaging in transac-’ tions of that nature may, in his own estimation, “ stand to win ;” but that is because he little knows what he is doing. He might chance'to win; and since the existence of the firm depends upon payment 6f losses, probably : he would get his money. But the betting firm looks upon everyone doing busixiess with them aS “a pigeon to be pluckedand we trust everyone else will; take the same view. ’The- true enjoyment of racing is marred by such excrescences ; they have no necessary connection with it, and tend tp bring discredit upon-it. : If the sport could be divested of such' disreputable associations, it would meet with even, more general, support than at -present, : it would be enjoyed by the majority without the remorseful feeling that a few weeks’ wages, saved by fair and honorable labor, had gon® towards the support of a book-maker, tladjmg upon the credulity of others; " !