Penarth Chronicle and District Advertiser

t Correspondence. BETTING. To the Editor of the Penarth Chronicle. DEAR SIR,—In England we are told gambling in it's various forms bears an early date, but I have not found paiticulars of any legislation till early in the 16th century, i.e. rather more than three and a half centuries ago (33 Henry viii.c 9). When we find a statute which says" No person shall for his gain, lucre or living, keep any common house, alley, or place of bowling, coy ting, cloyth, calys, half bowl, dicing table, carding of any unlawful game, then or there after to be used on pain of forfeiting 40/- per day, and the same statute enacted that any person haunting and using the said houses and playing bhall foifeit 6/8. This statute proves two things, first that these vices existed and were accounted as vices, secondly, they had then done such mischief as to call for i agonal condemnation. By an act of Queen Anne (9 Anne, c 14), any per- son who shall at any time or sitting by playing at cards, dice, or other game whatsoever, or by betting on the sides of such as do play, lose to one or more persons in the whole the sum or value of ten pounds, anl shall pay the same or any part thereof, may within three months sue 'for and recover the same in any court of record, and after three months any other person may sue for and recover the same and treble the value thereof with costs of suit. This it will be noted would apply to private gambling, there being no stipulation as to where or through any agency- If this statute, made less tii, n 200 years ago were in force to-day I think it wuuid sweep away some of this form of vice from some of our men in high positions, for there would not be wanting men who would look over the shoulders of some of them plying their so called debts ot honour, who would set to work thsiegul machinery for the sakj of lining tbeir own pockets. This law was in existence till 1844, and was practically forgotten when a number of men joined to take up this HIS a hoped for source of profit, they raised a crowd of actions against many men of money who bad been displaying it in their tranactions on the Turf. This was like a cat o' nine tails in high places, and was so sensibly telt that au act was in- stantly carried through parliament to stay the proceedings, and this brought the general subject of gambling before parliament again, to which we will refer later, as this last named incident is a divergence in order of time, but it will be noted the man of small means wLo could not lose ten pounds was left a safe and coveted fleece for the professional to operate upon. By aets of George the 2nd about 1750, keepers of public houses were punished fcr permitting gambling, and the games of faro, basset, hazard, roulette and all other games with dice were prohibited under penalties of £ 200 for the Keepers of the house, and £50 a time for the playeis. And by another act of the same reign (13 George 2, c 19) no hor-e shall be run for any prize of less than £50 in vaiue. It does not appear to me there is any stand point from which znoll a law as this can be josified. If IK r e racing is a good thing to be encouraged with its invariably accompanying vice of g (mbling, then no class of per- z;1 zn son should be exclusively privileged to it, but we need not go far to provi the cruelty of horse racing. They are irequently urged on to the death often being com- pelled to jump places where they break their backa In the attempt". It cannot be urged that the training of horses to such speed and to the crossing of such chasms is either needed or desirable for utility. What would be done to a man riding along even a country road at such spcec? he would be taken to the lock up a a maniac, and fined if not imprisoned for furious driving, cruelty to the animals, and danger to the .1 1 zD public, but because it i) done for the sensual gratifi- cation of the vice of gambling he is qlllctly left in his sin, yes, tin," bin against the animal overstrniuir g- and forcing as before said, ofien to tho cruel death made for man's use, and not abuse; sin against our better humanity by violating the law of kindness, and last, but not least, violating the law of the great Creator by abusing the beautiful creature God gave for our use, but because it is done for the vice of gambling man is quietly left in his sin, yea, even ap- plauded by a mob of sight seers. Au officer for the prevention of cruelty to animals may view the civa:ure with distoi ted nostrils and sliaiued nerves, • and now and again driven to the death as before staied, but must take no action tcause the ailimnls ( are saciificed to the Cod of gainohng. He must I leave the murderers aionel -it, a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast" and is merciful. Dining the early past of tne present century as well as duiing the previous century, various acts in refer- ence to notes of hand, bills, bonds and mortgages, whereby all such instruments were void, and even though the amount of such documents had been paid, and that to a third party, the amount was recoverabli by an action at law in any court of record. By statute of George the 4th, persons betting fli gambling in any street, or open and public place, punishable summarily as rogues and vagabonds; tbl" is still in force. We now come to the reign of Queen Victoria. W. have already noticed the abrupt manner in which conserves of gambling in high places are invaded a batch of men, who in 1845, set to work the statu'1 of Queen Anne, whereby they were entitled to sue f and obtain trom the receivers the sums of money pf for gambling debts by other men. This cato-o-Di\ tails as we before termed it being used upon men 1 high places, they immediately got a law passed stay the proceedings and repeal the statute. law as to bills and documents given for gambit debts were also modified, Whilst they are still OI, as between the parties they are not void in the baJJi of third persons, and the question of gambling1 W were largely overhauled, remodelled and added f For a number of years large numbers of bettlv houses had drove an unblushing business, and daily papers swariied with advertisements of superior and reliable private information, each of the" were able to give to such clients as would entrU, their betting transactions to them. In addition to dissemination of a taste for gambling among artisans and the young, there was the lesser evil tb9 when settling time came, the establishments fie: often found to be closed, their money gone and Is; agaimsl its recovery, such "clients were victim8! their own folly. In 1853 an act (16 and 17 Victcl'' for the suppression of betting houses, followed by*o$! acts condemning street gamblers as rogues and W, bo:)?, A s ill later Act of 1874 imposed penaltieS persons advertising or sending letters, circu^1; telegrams, &c. as to betting. A writer of 50 Jei ago said ga,-nincrwas very early the subject of pe enactments, yet there are more of these infant places of resort appropriately called Hells London, than in any other city in the world, A'j your correspondent Fairplay says they exist st1 though under a cloak a little modified, they- 9' uncontrovertably bad Then why should tl: remain ? Let the keepers seek a mere honour calling. Yours faithfully, j EDWARD SEAGJUV POST OFFICE ALTERATIONS AT PEN ART Siii. -Allow me to draw the attention of the Master of Penarth to the lateness of the first deji^ in the benighted district of '• The Cottages." 1' three out of the six mornings in the week, leiteTn not come to hand before 9 o'clock, and those o1! who have to leave with the 8,80 a- m, train, either Cardiff or Barry have the pleasure (with gnashiDa| teeth) of reading their morning correspondent their arrival home in the evening, the outcome0L same necessitating perhaps another jonrney to they have just come from. j Futher allow me to suggest to the Postmaster,), great need of additional staff, for office work. writer was one of seventeen who patiently wai^ turn to be served on Weduesday last at the busy'l of 7.30, when there was only one solitary female c behind the counter. Yours &c. Ein Llyw Olaf' READING ROOM. To the 'Editor. SlR>—I should much like to make I h3 ncquaiIlJ of Student," who contributed to this cola ø week under the above heading. He seems I immortal, and stands high on a pinae'e of < conceit. He would not disgrace himself by i'e| papers such as Ansivers, Pearson's Weekly and ret some of the leading lights of the wo Id rea^j< --and delight in them. It appears that Stud0, even beyond having a little light reading Ilo1, then, which is relished by the wisest of men- wondrous strange we do not hear more of him- Yours, &c., 1.' ■ ( PE AD" BETTING To the Editor of the Penarth Chronicle■ DEAR SIR,-Aneiit the above subject I cut; following ficm the current weeks issue of d)e,, d 9,11' age a young man's paper. We learu on good0 ity that Mr. Fletcher decided to resign the edlt?oø of the Daily Chronicle on account of his obje0'1 oj theclpublication of betting'news. He J before because he could not conscientiously j betting odds, and this point wns conceded by the o prietors' They might just as well give vvtty with regard u> betting news, for it cannot]?0 I great at raction to the readers of a paper h i {Chronicle. Mr Fletcher will probably remain fl si a it of ,tie Chronicle as au occasional contribtt he declines to be the responsible editor of vhich panders to the insane passion for We hear that he will be succeeded in the e j() by Mr. H W. Massing ham. its insertion 8000 < Penarth Chronicle will probably interest ..1 your readers. I Yours faithfully, RON