Destroy The Cause

James W. Sy ken has been expelled from the Chicago board of trade for lssutng frauiiulent warehouse receipts. - Current itmu. Now, if the frovernor of Illinois would expunge or wipe out the board of trade, he would be dolng au act of humanity. Boards of trade are "bucket shops1' on a grand scale ; "bucket shops" are but tol cratcd gambling hells. The principie of all is the same: To get aomething for nothing; to beat some other man out of his money; to become rich without work; opulent without exertion. It is a thing that is reprehensible, even if it can be accomplished, which is very seldom. This species of gainbling is all the more dangeroui because it is considered respectable. Men of character indulge In it. Members of our churches, dcacons in our churches, business men, bank directors, bank cashiers, bank presidents can all Indulge in It, and lose nono of their character or standing thereby, unless per chance one happens to get "caught short" as t is termed, iá "squeezed dry," and to help himself out uses funds at his command not his own, even as a drownlug man grasps at a straw in the hope of saving himself. Then the community arehorrified! People talk over the affairs of the fallen onc, and regret that so noble, so pure, so prouiising a person should be tempted, and a life which had such rare possibilities for the future should be wrecked- forever lost to his fellow man. We all deplore the restilis but make no move to destroy the cause. People whose blood would curdle at the thought ot their son, or brother, or f riends committing highway robbery wil] look on with iuterest at deals in a board of trade or "bucket shop" transaction, ¦which is robbery just the same. That strong drink is a curse no one will deny. That gambling is as great a curse no one ought to deny, and polite gamUing is no better than the genuine faro, chuck-aluck, or card room. A great furore was caused in this city recently by the establishment of a card room, where a few young men lost some of their money, but a "bucket shop" has operated here for months and no word of condemnation has been uttered against it though thousands upon thousands of dol-, lars have been taken from our citizen through its manipulations. Recent disclosures have pulled the mask from off of some of the transactions here, and a general feeling of horror and regret has been expressed on every sidc. A feeling of righteeus indignation lias weiled up in the hearts of peopleand could the saine sentiment prevail all over the country that exists in Ann Arbor now, these great ganibling institutions would be wiped out in short order. In one season Jackson has lost $100,000 by its " bucket shop." In a similar time $1,000,000 has found its way from Indianapolis to the coffers of Chicago' gamblers at the board of trade, not one dollar of which ever returned. Coldwater's "bucket shop" closed up last week, its manager leaving town In baste, and also leaving the town poorer by thousands of dollars. Every town and city in the country is being drained. Ann Arbor has lost her f uil abare, but who can teil how much ? We are unable to build up legitímate cnterprises for want of rnoney, but thousands are avaihible everywhere for gambling. The spirit of speculation is on the increase. Grain options have become prevalent only since 1879, except in Chicago. In Boston report has it that more business wasrecently done in one montli than in the two years ending in 1879. Every little city like Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. even villages like Chelsea, must have ¦ "bucket shop." Fools watcli the market and fancy they can foretell what the price of grain will be to-morrow. They buy or sell accordingly and have tlieir caleulations upset by a set of men, or by one man, like Hill of Chicago, who sold 50,000,000 bushels of wheat, which he proposed to manipúlate with B capital of $3,000- all he had. Who can counton sucli an influence as this apart from every legitímate influence or cause aflecting tlie market ? No-one and noone sliould try. Least of all, men in whose hands trusts have been placed by others. Keepers of all trust fonda, bankers and what not, should bc free from the taint, and the time will come, it must come, when any man found dabbllng in "biifket shop" options will be counted an unlit man (he is always an unsafe man, no matter what his position) to hold any connection with such institutions as have been named. We may go farther, the time will surely come when this curse of gaiiibüiig with "the ¦ruise of respectabillty will be crushed out by our peopto. Tliere 3 no need of wonder that ïnany ery out ¦g&lnti the boards of trade with the lniiguage of communisif; for an enormous amount of legitímate business is yearly stifled by the loss of money brought bout bj these agencies. It is next to inttmperance theevil of the time. Public sentiment in Ann Arbor should cry out agalnst it. The action of tlie democratie party in pcrsUtently refusing to admit Dakota into the Union is partUanthlp oí tlie most contemptible order. It is rank, it is mean, it is cowardly.