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Show REGULATING GAMBLING. An Ordinance That Will Soon be Brought Up in the Council. A question which has been agitating Omaha bids fair to be raised in this city soon. It is nothing more than a city ordinance ordi-nance regulating gambling by making it a misdemeanor to run a game or gambling house, punishable by a fine of not less than $5 nor more than $500. When the matter came up in Omaho, the World-HereM of that city took the initiative initia-tive in obtaining a concensus of opinion on the question. The bill passed the council. It was shown that over 100 gambling houses were running in Omaha prior to the passage of the ordinance, but, as they were behind closed doors, no police espionage was possible, except in isolated cases. An argument was set up that were these gambling gam-bling places conducted in a manner which would give the greenhorn even the limited percentage of chance which the "straight" game trives, all would be well; but it is a notorious fact that in most of the places, conducted as they are beyond police surveillance, sur-veillance, the unfortunate one is he who wins. A glass of whisky, wine or beer and the victim finds himself, when he recovers re-covers from the effects of the drug which has been placed in his drink, on the streets with not a dcllar in his pockets. This statement was set up as a recital of fact and not an overdrawn picture, and the father of the movement of his measure asserted the principal that gambling exists everywhere and cannot be suppressed. Among those favoring the ordinance in Omaha was Police Judge Berka. ex-Police ex-Police Judge Kelslcy, rill of the police force. Police Commissioner Smith, Attorney John D. Howe, A. J. llauscom, a leading churchman; Ernest Kiale, capitalist; N. A. Kuten, E. Wyman. G. E. Thompson, all leading citizens; II. W. Shriver, ex-coun-cilman; Gustave Anderson, ex-police judge; F. C. Brownlee, merchant; Governor James A. Boyd, County Commissioners Stenberg and Berlin, County Clerk John Jenkins, County Treasurer Ivey, State Senator Briggs and about a hundred other men of note. Acting on this a member of the Salt Lake council proposes the same thing and says that it will be introduced as soon as he can get a copy of the Omaha measure. Beside keeping the gamblers under close surveil-lanee surveil-lanee the city will derive a revenue and upon the whole a better condition of affairs ! will exist. |