The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4623, 29 October 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1883.

Fbom our telegrams we observe that numerous sweep promoters are being proceeded against, and we sice that several of the same gentry in neighboring colonies have " taken time by the forelock," and hare sought " fresh woods, and pastures new,"—in fact, drawn aa many subscriptions from the public towards " consultations " as they could, and just before the eventful moment of drawing came, hare retired to that seclusion from which, even with the aid of detective police, they are not likely to emerge. It has been frequently pointed out ia the columns of the

Press that most Unhealthy results would follow the encouragementof these ventures, and the public bare been warned, times out of number, against the wily seductions of the promoters of the sweeps which are advertised so freely throughout this and the neighboring colonies. Legislation has done all this for us. The wise-alls in our* Parliament have placed the weapons of plunder in the hands of those who have—as we see-—not hesitated to use them. The" goody r goody " members of our Legislature and others deemed it necessary that " sweeps" should be put down, and that all gambling and betting shsuld be suppressed wi'h a strong hand. We have no desiie to advocate gambling in any way, but we most unhesitatingly say that the harmless sweeps, which have hitherto been almost an institution on all race-courses, have no elements of evil in them; and, if they are suppressed, other means will be, and are, taken to carry them out, which means are an evasion of the law, and give opportunities to those who live and thrive on the many questionable ways which can be found to drive through parliamentary measures affecting this question, for the purpose of swindling the public. Doubtless the originators of this " people-made-moral-by-Act-of-Par-liament law" were earnest in their efforts; mayhap, they desired to check an evil which they thought they saw, but which, perhaps, they did not quite understand 4 very likely they took the principle of the thing in hand, and tried a little bit of amateur legislation in making hard and fast rules in connection with a subject which required more than a passing glance. The result of the law is plainly showing itself. Since its introduction several thousands of pounds have been absolutely thrown away in these things. In the face of such wholesale exposure of these money drawing institutions, we can only say, as we have previously endeavored to shew, that the people cannot be more foolish than to encourage them ; but if it be necessary to them, in the matter of gratifying their acquired tastes, then they should be more than ordinarily careful in the selection of the means they use to invest their capital.