398
FAR EASTERN GAMBLERS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
of all critics of such glaring inconsistency. that "the whole of this fomentation appearS to be the thin end of the wedge " destined to uproot pony racing and all other sports that carry gambling in their train. There are those who admire justice as an abstrac- | tion, who do not care much either way, “Be fair. Either stop your but who say: gambling in high places, or let the poor coolio and working man alone. Either impartially enforce or repeal your ordin. ances. The question is asked by one of the controversialists :
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(Daily Press, 28th May ) Shanghai is being confronted with a rather prejty problem, one that has so many sides to it that it is affording excuse for a very entertaining correspondence in the news. papera The Shanghai Municipal Council it appears, prosecutes Chinese gamblers with fairly steady enthusiasm, but relaxes the legal pressure during race week because it would then appear so very inconsistent with the doings of the foreigners. Some persons
Why do you consider it incumbent upon connected with the Young Men's Christian Association have addressed the Council, yourselves to force us not to gamble? If it is uot wrong for us to gamble on race days on the urging it to do its duty at all seasons, problem whether A a horse will beat B's, it is regardless of consequences. 'It places us
not wrong for a Chinese coolfe or a Chinese in a very embarrassing position", the gentleman to decide whether he will risk his Council have replied, refusing, with but two money on the ander" coming up and the members dissenting, to change their practice. over" not coming, or vice-veres, the morality As almost all communities which treat or otherwise of the whole thing to my mind gambling as criminal matter are or ought seems to be in the problem whether either to feel similarly embarrassed, the situation foreigner or native may, by taking advantage has more than merely local interest, even if of the permission afforded him to gamble, if he feels so disposed, be induced or persuaded into we overlook the shifts und stratagems of such excesses as to cause him to deplete his the controversialists. Those who argue means to such an extent as will financially that the Council ought to administer its embarrass him and prevent him discharging his own laws without the least relaxation, lawful obligations towards his creditora ". because if a thing he unlawful the one Those points are sufficiently answered by day it must still be unlawful the next, MILL in his chapter on "the limits to the because the councillors have no dis authority of society over the individual' cretinuary right to abate it even temporarily, a chapter that might profitably be studied appear to occupy the strongest position. ¦ by all mukers of laws, by-laws, a d ordin- The downright opponents of all gambling | ances, who have notor:ously been too much are less in favour, and their friends who are swayed by the desire to make people good baiting the Council would probably rather by act of legislature. If gambling by they kept out of it, as they can do little individuals prejudices society, society hn. a good by such arguments as: "We, as right to restrict it; but British anti-gamb. representatives of Christian countries, in a ling legislation, by aiming at one class heathen land are misrepresenting the only, tacitly admits or implies that the countries from which we come, for neither prejudice sought to be removed affects only the laws of England nor America permit the gamblers whom it seeks to hinder. Iu public gambling on race or any other days, that case a law to prevent men from over- How can the Chinese respect our laws eating themselves, an Anti-Gluttony Act, which punish crime at one time and give would appear as just and equall necessary, it full licence
at Hongkong at another? This Anti-gambling ordinances ploader wound up, "Surely this dark were in the early days supported by the blot should not be left to mar the fair argument, inter alia, that gainbling encour civilisation which we represent The aged dishonesty among servants. MILL cleverer anti-gamblers are quick to recognise ay that the moral and religious objections to gambling are less easy to sustain, and they, feeling that they have driven the authorities into a tight corner, prefer to remind the public that "the moral and religious side of the question has not been raised". No, though many people do consider gambling is immoral, they say,
that
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any
"with regard to the merely con- tingent, or, as it may be called, constructive injury which a person causes to society, by conduct which neither violates specific duty to the public nor occasions perceptible hurt to any assignable indi- vidual except himslf, the inconvenience is one that society can afford to bear, for the sake of the greater good of Shall humin freedom.” But domestic theft is "The question is a purely legal one. the Council suspend for three days the operation & conting, ucy of more things than gambling. of its own laws? Have they the power to do The exposure of goods in a shop window so? From a legal standpoint I hold the Council might ns justly be made illegal, on the has no rieht to make lawful for three days what ground that servants, having covetousness is unlawful the rest of the year. Surely this is an obvious truth. The Council vigorously and excited thereby, might steal in order to buy, strenuously enforces the law with regard to Between stealing to buy and stealing to bet gambling during 357 days of the year; has its there is no difference. In practice it is police make periodical raids on gambling sheds; extremely unlikely that it can be shown that complains when the gambling implements are our anti-ganıbling ordinances have måde the boy more honest as u type. Although not destroyed, and then suspends the law and allows free and unrestricted gambling within a
not quite so glaring a case, this Colouy certain area for the other days of the year! It shares with Shanghai the ignominy of would be interesting to know the exnot bound-working injustice under a Puritan law, as aries of this three days' legalized gambling district within which the police have instructions to not interfere with gamblers: and whether they are expected to arrest the fellow who has his fautan table or roulette wheel just across the line.
The sporting sympathisers jump to the con clusion that the “unco guid" are aiming at all gambling, and some of them discuss the ethics of gambling in the forlorn hope of convincing others that it is really not such a naughty thing. They also waste time, we fear, Bogging a dead horse. No amount of logic seems able to overcome a prejudice that has so long enjoyed the countenance of the lawmakers. Certainly it cannot be said
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bad as those at which we now smile, yet which once caused honest folk great incon. venience to no end save the increase of bypocrisy.
It is reported in official circles, says the P. & T. Times, that the Tartar-General of Hellung klang has now received a report from Tastal Si Chan, stating that all the wines along the Amur River have been occupied by the Russians The Tartar-General has been very much surprised and sent a notification to the Bustan anthorities for the restoration of the mines which the Russians declined. The Waiwapa has therefore been requested to negotiate with the Russian Minister in Peking.
[June 2-1980,
"CHINATOWN.”
(Daily Press, 29th May), One of the most famous localities in must now be called Old Sue Franciško » of course “Chinatown.” Chishtiwi worthy of more historical molios (han ever been bestowed upon it. Most modern Californians look upon it as an exerussonce which grew up within the real San Fran. ciano; as a fact it was the nucleus of the original city, and around it grew up, maioly in the gold-digging days, the great mass of flimsy planked edifices which till the other day constituted the graster part of the capital of the state of California. It is a curious fact, and one not generally known either in America or China, that till twenty- five years ago there actually existed in Shanghai the exact counterpart of the San Francisco Chinatown, built by the same man, on the same plan, and with identically similar materials. The edifice in Shanghai was known as “ Lao K'i Ch'ang", Old K'i Chang: it was the original home in North China of the then princely American house of Russell and Co." Its builder, as also that of the Franciscan Chinatown, was enterprising Cantonese contractor, well known to the early foreign residents as that of the builder of many of the original “hongs" at the various Treaty Ports, who was generally known by his adopted soubri- quet of "Chop-Dollar." All this took place in the early "factory" days, when Canton was the centre of civilisation of Chins ; and was looked upon as the guide in all mattera architectural, and the source whence wate derived the workmen and the materials for building throughout the whole of the five ports then open to foreign trade, With bricks and lime then from Cauton, and with granite from Hongkong, was bullf by na enterprising Chinese contractor on Anglo. Chiuese lines the block of buildings, which afterwards becoming inhabited by Chinese, as did the similar building in Shanghai, grew up into a rockery of the lowest and worst kind. In fact for many years the two edifices built by the one man, but on the opposite sides of the great Pacific Qoeau, were almost equally notorious as the rendezvous of the worst characters always to be found where new and old civilisations first come in contact.
Belɔre the great discoveries of gold in California brought its crowds of immigrants from the Eastern States, and from the ff-scourings of Europe in the early 'fifties of the last century, California was in fact Lore Chinese than American, and to Chinese labour and Chinese skill its owes its first start-off.
It was Chinese farmers who first cultivated the region between San Francisco and Marysville; Chinese trades- men who built the houses, and baked the bread, and lastly it was Chinese navvies whose labour enabled ia 1887 the first trans- continental railway to enter the State of California. It was Chinese trade, too, that laid the foundation of the importance of the port, so that when they really come to study the early history of their city ita inhabitants will discover how great and manifold have been the benefits due to the now despised Chinese By last telegraphio-nown it seems that Chinatown has followed the greater portion of the rest of San Francisco, and one of the topics now agitating the mind of the citizens is to prevent its being rebuilt, was a fact the people of California have never understood how to utilise the Chinese. Had they bown treated with.only. ordinay.com. mon sause they would have all through been found a very useful element in the very mixed population of the Western city.“ We