The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-07-11


closed in Saturdays FREE TRADER with a memo.
randum of the first race put down for Friday,
which was 4 running race for year ODDS, purse
$500 Won by Wral in two heats time, 1853, :53.
The second race on Friday was mile dash,
free to all Entries-Edwn Adams, Western
Star and Melrose. Won by Edwin Adams in
1867.
The record for Saturday we copy from Thurs
days Rtltblican:
| Two special races were pat down for the
| forenoon. The first (pacing) took place at $50.
The competing horses were Seal Skin and jeff
Davis Won by Seal Skin in 2:225 and Psi.
The second special was trotting race, the
contestants being West Liberty, Sam Sharplcy
and Capt. Jack. Won by Captain Jack and Sam
Sharpley second.
! The first race in the afternoon was for the Cliff
| ton Hotel stake, "a silver cupO running, half
miles heats. Entries-Henry Wilson, owned by
VIM. Arnett Mason, ILL.,, and Julia Gasmon, own
ed by John 7. Gibson, Ottawa. Won by Henry
! Wilson in 50 sec.
peat for $500. Entries-Rob Roy, owned byI
Adams & Croft, Wenona, and Edwin Adams,
owned by &. B. Morris, FL Paso. Won by Ed
win Adams; time, 3:4l9., 3:5lj9, 40
We have a few general remarks 70 make in
reference to these races While at no former at
tempt to have races at Ottawa was there col
lection of horses gathered here to compare with
the horses entered ut these races, and thus
brilliant success seemed assured in advance, the
attendance Of spectators throughout was sol
small that both financially and in spirit and en-
thusiasm they have been failure. Part of this
was owing doubtless, to the intense heat of the
weather, and the drought and Tie dust and dirt
that pcryaded every place. =, for instance, on
the 4th, when the road 70 the fair grounds, as
well rs the grounds themselves, were cnvelOped
in such MASSES OF dust, and the wind was SO!
sitting and scOrchisg, that it was almost worth
ones life to go to the races Yet the attendance
on that day must have been nearly 1000 All
other days it never exceeded 500
But there was another cause, which we allude !
to reluctantly, and only because We have been
bitterly censurcd in the matter by certain mana
gers Of the races. The races were not properly
advertised. There were few single sheet post
crs stuck up in store windows, hung up in sa-
looms and tackled up at blacksmith shops here
ard there, and il is possible circulars were mail
ell to leading horscmcn throughout the north |
west; but anything like systematic advertising,
calculated to collect an eager crowd Of special
tors, such rs would have led to 4 sale # ten or
fifteen thousand entrpnce tickets was wholly,
omitted.
The blame cast upon Us Is, that as newspaper
publishers at Ottawa We did so little cditorially |
in the way of blowing" or advertising the races
What motive or iDduccmrnt had we for doing so? i
We own no interest or stock in the Riverside
Driving Park Association and haven't the aeIilot
est interest In any fast horses Yet for the repu-
taton Of the town we did take the pains several
times to hunt up the officers Of the Association
to get information upon which to build an arti-
Gle commencing and advertising the races, but
in each case such information was hard to find,
and when we did &c. the right man by the but
ton he seemed to give out what he knew very re-
luctantly and grudgingly, Besides, whenever
the officers of the concern had any announce
mentS to make or proceedings to publish and
condcscended to furnish Us with copies, We al
ways cheerfully published them gratuitously,
and If the occasion was Sitting, accompanied
them with editorial remark and commentator.
This is us true Of the Hewb'jcuH rs the FREE
TRADER; yet in spite Of this, whenever the con
Germ had any printing to do,-land they boast
that they expended Sc'cra, hundred dollars in
printing cards, circulars, posters, Prize lists, &cp)
they took the worl, to . sma, lob office in town,
not even extending IN the p l,i'hcrS Of the 10
cal papers the courtesy OF l,hiug their price
Except in solitary rn-rJ ior the same work.
Can the managers " = Riverside Driving Park
expect the editors IN Ottaw5 80 "taar their
shirts" to puff and blow them, when The said
managers utterly ignore the existence Of said
local publishers There were, We understand.
some 80 mp!,mcn'ary" season tickets issued.
The local publishers were uypcctcd 10 make
flaming daily report nf the fair, and pun every
body's fast hose into ruoricty. and yet ,hc poor
compliment nj free admission to the fair was
denied them, when sporting mou' had their
pockets fuii of "omplim"nts-ic,. There have
been horse ;Iir5 a' Ottawa that wrrr property
advertised aud attended 10y t5HN people. The
late races failed 10 Call ont similar attendance
mainly for ;hr want "r .cu>h!" gAr.r i.me.