The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-10-09
Tba pool Sailing Evil.

nOur com nents on this question last
,yeeI< we made an unjust reflection up
on the grand jury, in that we criticised
them for not finding indictments
against parties who gambled on the
races at the fair sonlo weeks since.
yyhan writing hen we labored under
tine impre ssion that the Otfense was
;,,Iiot.;te Some of the best lawyers
ut the bar, at tho tim9, entertained the
saD,e OniuiOu, Since then, and after
more painstaking investigation, we find
that to bet Qua licensed track IS not
,rainst the law of Tennessee. We
learn further that the grand jury asked
for LEGAL aIyice up III this question, AMI
did all thay could II aye done or should
have done under the law, They were
han Iicapped by a bad law. 1t is the
fault of the law, therefore, and not the
fault of the grand jury, that Indictments
were not returned.
The law, as we understand it however,
Joes not prevent the Association from
making and enforcing a rule against
gambling on tho grounds. OF course
| law making the otfense indictable would
assist the officers of the Association
vary much; but without the law they
| -
| of their own property, and put any vlo-
IatOr off the grounds. They can 90
that, and in our opinion ought to. Iney
made such rule to govern the last
meetinL, but did not enforce 1t; dld not
! attempt to enforce it, except by rem IN
STRANGE and persuasion, which has little
effect upon the man they hal to deal
with.
This question will come up again at
the IN setiuE of Stockholders to IN brow,
and we wish now to call the attention OF
! the stockhol IerS to a few facts, apparent
at tho last m 9eting. The first day OF
the msetinC showed a larger atten lance
than anv tirst day in the history of the
Assooiati)l. Way? Because it was
IunierstooI ALL over the county that
.hera woulI be- no betting, AMI christian
man and women, who h I'd stayed away
herore on account of the pool selling,
were there.
There was comparatively little betting
the first day, and that was quietly aud
privately done, and the attendance the
second day was larger than tue hr5t.
The crowds continued to grow until the
fourth day, Friday. By that time the
Gamblers understood that the rule
l aylins st betting would not be enforced,
aud thoy spread themselves. They
! talked load AMI fl punished their money
e animAie their acts "a open AMI no.
t,rious az p) ssible. What WAS the re-
4 suit? The fifth day showed about the
SIN ,llest attendance of any last day o.
!. any meeting. Why? Because the
i christian man AMI women who had re-
y fused to countenance pool selling be-
d fore, had become disgusted with what
e thew saw aud stayed away.
e We would not be understood as re-
k fecting upon many who went. There
\ ware some there, of course, as good a.
, anv who stayed away. But the poin
= we wish to make is that there is a large
class ofthe very best citizens of thi
y county who will not patronlze thi
III Association if 1t is converted into
l, common gambling race course; and tn
c. ouestion for the stockholders to deter
n mine is, whether they will invite tn
IA patronage and influence of this class
a. or whether they will license gambling
- in order to curry favor with the sport
ING fraternity. aye cannot serve tw
masters"