Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-03-18
DID THE JUDGES DECIDE JUSTLY.

DID THE JUDGES DECIDE JUSTLY.
The Rules of the Judges of the Mackinaw
Races Compared with the Rules of the
National Association.
ITO the Edit0r.)
The ruling of the judges of the Mack
inaw races on Tuesday of this week,
wherein they distanced Frank Mack in
the first heat and Frank HI. in the second
heat, because they each cast a shoe, in
my opinion was decidedly so great an in
justice as to appear quite ridiculous.
The rules of the National association of
the American Trotting Turf We're the
rules adopted for the government of the
Mackinaw association. These rules are
very elaborate, and cover nearly every case
where rule may DE required. But there
is not one rule-and l challenge the
Mackinaw judges to produce it-where
| the casting OF a shoe is taken into con-
sideration. The only rule or rules OF the
National association which will at all APP
ply i'm this case are rules 81 and 80.
which are,
RULE 34-In case of accidents, ten minutes
| shall be allowed, but the judges may allow more
| time when deemed necessary and proper.
RULE SIN case of collision and and break
down, the party causing the same. whether WI
| fully or o-herwise. may tie dstanced. and If the
judges6nd the collision as Intentional or to aid
fraud, the driver In fault shall he forthwith sns-
penred or expelled and hi; horse & shall & be dis lis
judges may direct the offending horse to start
again.
Here we find that it was entirely dis.
cretiOnary OH the part of the Judges
whether ten minutes AMI even more
should have been allowed the dista,1ced
horse to repair damages. Let us look al
the condition of things little, and see
If the judges were entirely justified in
ruling as they did.
The rules Of the National association
were only made TO govern races where
the trotting is done upon a prepared
track upon the ground, and not upon ice
as in this case. 1t is we'll known fac
that horse casting shoe while trottins
upon ground can go on without fear o
slipping, and finish the race, and il
almost every case, too, without becoming
foOt-sOre or lame. Not so when trottins
upon glare ice. Without beins
sharp-shOd all around horse cal
hardly walk upon glare ice without fall
ling, much less finish a three minut
race.
Here was race upon ice, which is no
at all contemplated by the rules of tn
National association and vet we find tn,
Judges so entirely One-sided as to carry
out the rules in their most rigid sense
not allowing themselves the least dis
cretiOn in the matter. Let us hope tina
they were not i'm the least mercenary O
selfish in their ruling.
Again, when the races took place her
at ChebOygan, Mr.. Dingman, the Owne
of the the winning horse of the frs
days race at Mackinaw. entered hOrs
against Frank II. and another. In on
OF the heats the Dingman horse becam
D disabled by an accident. When about
{ start upon the next heat Mr.. Dingma
made personal request of the owner {
Frank Ii. that he should not distance hi
horse. The owner OF Frank Ii. genel
S ously acceded to his request, and told hi
D driver not to come in any sooner tina
would allow the Dingman horse to say
his distance. The driver dill as directed
: and came i'm forty seconds later than hi
3 time; thus giving second money to Nj
e Dingman.
e When we take these things all into cor
e sideration, do you think, Mr.. Editor, TIN
t the ruling of the Mackinaw judges w:
2 at all fair or neighbOrly?
wish to call your attention now I
4 rule thirty, of the betting rules OF th
National association, which reads:
Should any cont ngencies occur, not provide
. for by these rules, the judges Of the day sha
decide them.
t Here we have it i'm a nutshell, and it
r so plain that ''he who runs, may read an
e understand" 1t was entirely in til
e power of those judges to have given bot
distanced horses a chance to repair dan
ages.
You may probably come to conclr
| sion why they did not, but L ann Of til
opinion that not one of these judge
t knew, or was i'm the least posted in regar
e to the rules of the trOtting turf. The
Y had advertised to 60 by certain rule
Judges had been chosen to judge b
}, those rules, and [ venture TO say tn;
e not more than one of them land L dout
4 whether even he) ever saw Or read th
I rules.
What farce was this. Two neighbO
ing villages come together fGT littl
sport, and to see which had the be-
horse. The whole thing become con
plete fizzle, because a set Of chosen me
are Ignorant OF what is required of then
Under the circumstances L can look
it in only one light, and that is that thO'
judges must shoulder the whole respOl
4 sibility themselves. They cannot shoy
it off upon the rules of the National Al
sociation. In their ruling they SCENE
y to be entirely ignorant of the TACT tn;
e this was merely neighbOrly contest
It see which was the best horse, and not
: mere gambling operation entered ini
: for the purpose of beating somebody.
! FAIR PLAY.