Show Committee in Quandary Gambling Probe Raises Point What Is s Sin Sera and What Isn't I By fly Frederick C. C Othman WASHINGTON V Today let letus letus et us pity 8 working hard gentlemen gentle gentle- men who stand f foursquare 0 u l' l S qua r c against sin Their problem is to define it Then maybe they can cando cando cando do something something- about it The trouble i is that a cold chisel makes about the finest tool a burglar burg can carr carry Useful for or cracking safes op opening ning windows window's windows windows win win- dows dow's and in m emergencies conkIng conking conking conk conk- ing citizens on the head So should congress cong make mal e the shipment shipment shipment ship ship- ment of cold chisels in interstate interstate interstate inter inter- state commerce illegal The unhappy members rs of the interstate commerce committee of the house as one of them explained explained explained ex ex- face this same question question question ques ques- tion in connection with a bill prohibiting movement of gambling gambling gambling gam gam- bling devices across state lines What is a gambling device deice An automobile Drew J J. J OKeefe special assistant assistant assistant as as- to the attorney general said he didn't think so Representative Representative e John B B. B Bennett R R. Mich said anybody with a minimum of ingenuity ing could use a motor car for gambling pur- pur 1 poses Roulette Fan And furthermore said he I 1 know of two sailors aboard ship who took an electric fan pasted numbers on the blades and used it for a kind of roulette roulette roulette rou rou- lette wheel They start it up unplug it and whichever number number number num num- ber stopped at the top won Now would the attorney general want to prohibit the sale and shipment shipment shipment ship ship- ment of electric fans OKeefe said he doubted IfA if A Attorney General J. J Howard McGrath would want to go that far Then demanded Representative Represent Represent- Bennett what is a gambling gambling gambling gam gam- bling device de The headed bald b aId h e a d e d OKeefe scratched what was left of his hair thought ht awhile and said that answering answering- this was like Jike trying to say what is sin Very difficult to pin down he added That left the congressmen about where they started a month ago when the attorney general sent up a bill designed ned to put one-arm one bandit slot machines machines ma may chines out o of business It was as as' as simple as that Insert Fanc Fancy Words But a lawyer of course cannot cannot cannot can can- not sa say simply in a law Jaw one- one arm bandits Hes He's got ot to call em cm gambling g dev devices So McGrath's McGrath's Mc- Mc Grath's legal minds inserted the fancy language Jang and the committeemen commit- commit hay ha ha e c a been in trouble ever since ince The manufacturers of slot machines came first They said they weren't public enemies but hut public benefactors If it weren't for their nickel grabbers g said they manya and club in America would be bankrupt today About this time it turned out that officers' officers clubs in army posts all over America used one- one arm bandits to finance their lounges The secretary of de de- de fen e ordered the army brass however to remove from the Pentagon the slot machines disgorging disgorging dig dis dis- dis gorging org nickels in m slot machines there Advertising Only So along along- came a number of toy loy manufacturers to say that their make-believe make r roulette o 0 u 1 e t t e c wheels and bagatelle boards would be criminal devices under the bill The men swore that they manufactured their products for advertising purposes s only The Association of Carnival Operators said what was congress congress con con- gress trying to do wreck every county fair in America So the committeemen kept kepton on getting getting- more confused Some of em thought the local sheriffs sheriffs sher sher- iffs iUs ought ht to handle the slot machine problem with sledge sled hammers Rep Charles A. A Wolverton Wolverton Wol- Wol verton vert on CR R. R N N. J. J believed that thata a federal tax of say a year on each one-arm one bandit should turn the trick A pin-ball pin lawyer sitting silting in inthe inthe inthe the front row had an even better better better bet bet- ter idea Why not just cut cutoff cutoff cutoff off everybody's c right arm he muttered My own guess is that Americans Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans will be feeding money into slot machines for some time to come That's because it its going to to take the 28 committeemen from now until when telling to de decide ide what legally is a sinful sinful sin sinful sin sin- ful device Copyright United Feature Syndicate |