The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-10-19
SENSIBLE HORSE TALK.
What an Ardent Lover of the Turf Thinks
of the Improvement in TrOtters.

OF the Improvement in TrOtters.
James Grant, of Davenport, Iowa, one Of
the most celebrated as well as one of the most
successful lawyers of the west, is in the city,
He is president of the national trottine associ-
alton, which controls over 200 tracks. A re-
porter had an interesting chat with him last
night. Mr.. Grant, who is 10 years old said:
''The breed and use of trotting horses in the
last ten years has increased . thousand fold.
You may travel through the country anywhere
and find farmer boys training the trotters.
The boys are on the alert for good stock, sud
if they find horse to be good trotter they
seek every opportunity to put him in training.
By and by there is q county fair. The boy
enters the horse and he trots of with premi-
UNI and 6rst-class record. Why, sir, the
breeding Of rotting horses has become Q
great industry, bringing to Kentucky, Ohio
and other states hundreds of thousands of dol
lars annually"
''What do you think of the fictitious values
placed on trotting horses"
"The value of trotting horses has quad
rupled within the past ten years, because of
their superior breed and training"
"What is your observation Is to the increase
of speed and the methods of training COM
pared with that of years past?'
81 have observed very closely. but kept no
special data. have Witnessed the change
from 2.4o to 2IoZ. This is the fastest time on
record, made by Msud S. A great number of
horses have made less than 2.2o. attribute
this improvement more to good breeding than
to training. The last season has been pro-
ductive of great many horses whose records
are under AGO."
SIS there any difference between eastern
and western blooded stock as to speed and
quality!"
at is my opinion that the section OF country
has nothing to do with the quality Of horse.
The blood Of fine trotting stock is diffused all
otkr the United States"
Mr.. Grant was probed for some points IS to
the methods employed in the practices of fraud
and trickery on the turf.
"Oh, there are thousand ways of corrup-
tion," he said. "They are too numerous to
mention. A common practice is to throw off
the race and make the best horse the loser.
1t is the fact that horses are often drugped, or
in some way physically impaired, in order to
make them lose the race. You may take the
best horse on the turf, give him two buckets
Of water at night and he will be beaten next
day." -
Wash. Jones ''coon story," that he tells in
all his stump speeches, is as follows:
A man was carrying q coon he had caught
when he met three little boys in the road. An
of them said excitedly and at once, "Mister,
give me that coon, give me that coon, Mis-
ter"
"Well boys. I'll tell you what win do. II
you will tell me the party you belong to and
why, I'll give it to the boy who gives the best
reason for his faith" I'm q republican be-
cause that party saved tt FJpion,n said one.
'I'm greenbacker becaus> at party is in
favor of plenty of money" Wh~ethe time
OF the third boy came he said. "Tm Ssiemo-
crat, case want the COON"
A Car on the Pennsylvania railroad leaving
New York on a trial trip was lighted with
electricity on Friday night last. 1t had seven
incandescent lamps fed from 30 Faure accu-
mutations and worked beautifully. II is pro-
posed by the companyeto light the Chicago
Limited Express in the same manner as soon
as possible.
President Arthur, on leaving Boston for his
home, was presented with baton made from
wood which grew at Daniel Webster's birth
place in New Hampshire.
Baron Rothschild was a wine stewart w,o
has been in the family employed fifty years.