Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-07-27
Protest of an Indignant Horseman.

LEICESTER, July %, 1872.
Editor of the Spy: In your editorial upon the
college boat races you go far out of your way to
make the following sweeping observation:
''The horse is u noble animal, as we all know,
though it is melancholy, but indisputed fact,
that the influence of intimate association with
the noblest of thar species is demoralizing to
human nature. Ii is curious, too, that the bet
ter the horse the worse his influence upon men.
A man may sustain quite intimate relations
with horses worth few hundred dollars each,
and not be sensibly the worse for it; but let him
have much TO do with horses worth as many
thousands, and he becomes almost inevitably
a good-lor-nothing, if not blackleg and
cheat"
In community whose interest in horses is
scarcely exceeded by its solicitude for the well
fare of mankind you cannot expect such asser-
tons to pass unchallenged, and although my
observation of men and horses long ago con-
WINGED me of the folly of quarreling about opir-
ions, it is another thing when we come to facts,
and l cannot permit yours to go longer "ndiS-
puted."
Cheats and blacklegs often own good horses,
it is true so they possess, also railroads, steam
boats, political offices and newspapers. They
are not demoralzed by the possession Of fine
horses, though they degrade the animal fire.
ouentIy by their foul associations. Editors are
not infalble: they have an advantage over
horsemen in that they are able to express their
opinions more freely, but they should beware
lest in their preaching they "bait their homilies
with their brother worms" Perhaps if ii was
left to the public to decide between the owners
of valuable horses and the editors, which was
the more meritorious, the decision would be in
favor of the former class. The valuable horses
of the country, thanks to the press, are better
known by name to the people than the members
of the presidents cabinet or the judges of the
supreme court. Their owners are well known,
and the only one of them who uses horses to
advertise himself, to keep his name before the
public and sell his newspaper, is the owner of
the New York Ledger. His horses are worth
enormous sums of money, and it is well known
they are "moral horses" and used solely for
advertising purposesl
Let us inquire who are some of the other
owners of the most valuable horses in the
country. The most valuable stock ever bred in
America, in our day, was from the great Wood
burn stock farm, near Lexington, KY, formerly
owned by that quiet, Christian gentleman, r.
A. Alexander. Mr.. Alexander is now dead !;
his heirs still carry on the farm. The great race
colt, Harry Bassett, was one of theirs. One of
Mr.. Aexander's neighbors, Henry Clay, was
also breeder of the same class of horses in his
life time. His son John now carries on the
business. The best colt John Clay ever raised
was the famous Kentucky" sold for forty
thousand dollars, and NOW in the possession of
good for nothing called August Belmont.
You will find that these gentlemen have a
warrant for their conduct in the history of Gen
era Washington, who, in spite OF his biogra-
pliers, was mortal man, and loved horses as well
as General Grant does. General Jackson bred
race horses and matched them too, and so did
John Randolph.
The men who manage the race courses of
Saratoga, Long Branch and jerome park, and
who own the horses that compete there are
among our most eminent citizens. Need name,
August Belmont, William Butler Duncan, Mil
ton Sanford, Francis Morris, George Denison,
David Crawford, Leonard Jerome, and scores of
Others. If these men are blacklegs, and their
meetings disreputable, how does it happen that
the races are attended, not only by people of
wealth and fashion, but by the president of the
United States, high officials of the government,
the editors of the great dailieS, and the "rest OF
mankindr Why, would ask, does the city,
where the SPY has been published for nearly a
century, MAINTAIN a race track, or "trotting
tract" and support the Agricultural association
ofthe country by offering purses to be competed
for by the blackleg cheats that own the horses.
would like to know il the venerable gentlemen
who offer the purses are not in the same category
with the men who enter the horses.
| would like to have you look at the treasur-
er's report of the agricultural society, and see
how much money they take in from the display
of enormous cabbage heads and amazing beets,
and then compare it with the proceeds of the
horse trots dreadful poor" horse trots they
are too, almost enough to make one share your
| opinions Of horsemen.
Perhaps after all you only meant to reflect
upon those who bet money upon horses, and
who breed and train them for implementsIof
gambling; but you certainly in this speculative
age, when all business transactions partake so
much of the gambling element, cannot show
that horses and horsemen are responsible for
this corroding immortality. You might as well
say that man can safely handle little real
estate, few shares of stock, or whatever prop.
erty, but the possession of large amounts will
lead him to gambling and cheating. If your
motto is to be "the poorer the horse the better
the owner" we had best at once adopt the next
philosophy and say BLESSED is he that has
nothing and wants nothing" Commend me to
the society of the generous animal who gives me
his speed and his life with no uncharitable cen
| sure. IER.