The Portland daily press., 1892-02-13
Race Tracks Devoted to Book.
makers and Betting.
pernicious Institutions to Be Found In
Almost Every Large City-Why They
Arc q Menace to Society Some
Pointed Illustrations
Especial Chicago letter.


bined. Why horse race cannot be
conducted on strictly legitimate basis.
Just like baseball and other popular
sports, is more than 1 can see. Thou
sands of persons attend ball games
without ever thinking of betting on the
results of the game, but let the same
people go to race and they will put
up the last dollar they have on some
horse which they think will como in
ahead of its competitors.
Unprincipled men who have made
human weakness and folly study have
reduced horse racing to scandal.
Almost every large city in the country
has at the present time race course
devotcs to boolkmakers and their vic
Tins. The races are mere cloak. Once
in great while favorite horse is per-
mitted to win a race, but usually un-
known animals come in first. A betting
crowd always has a favorite. A few
bri ght young men in the employ OF tho
boolmakers devote their time to giving
sstips+' to their acquaintance. In a
stage whisper such information is con-
veyed from one race track habitue to
the other, and 'favorite" is born.
Betting runs all one way. At the close
of the race the 'sfavorite" is far behind
some inferior animal, and the book
makers have reaped golden harvest.
Horse racing that is kept up by the
gambling elements is not sport. In the
very nature of things there can be moth
ing honest about it. 1t is conducted
like all other games of chance, to make
money for the promoters. Chicago,
like every other large city, contains
thousands Of people who are always
searching for way to make
living without working. and running
races over ankle-deep mud, and in cold
weather, seen, to afford a better oppor-
tunity to attain such an end than almost
any other form of licensed crime.
The demcralizing effects Of unre-
stricted betting are beginning to be
felt In this city in more ways than one.
Real estate located in the vicinity OF
the race tracks has lost much of its
value. No one cares to build a homo
near such dens of iniqNity and vice,
and it Is a noticeable fact that even
persons directly intereAted in these
Aenterprises" do not care to live in the
immediate vicinity of the scene of their
financial operations. Tie races always
attract crowd of rough and loud
moutheG young fellows, painted women
and outeasts from society. whose very
presence is enough to pollute neigh
borhood Foul language, coarse ac-
lr-sr ysar,davs the
surroundings and the streets leading to
the tracks unfit for general use; and
that no one cares to establish his family
in such vicinity is not surprising.
But while these evils should be sufi-
cient to condemn the races, the hidden
influences they exert are far more harm
full than the visible tokens of their
blightful existence. 1t will never be
known how many young men have
been ruined in this city alone during
the past season by attending crooked
races. A few cases which came under
my personal observation lead me to
think that the number of Victims must
be fully one thousand.
A young man connected with one OF
the largest dry goods firms in a respon-
sible position began to ''play the races"
early in the season. His first venture
returned him seventy-fold profit, and
proved his ruin. He neglected his work
to gamble on horses. His employers
learned the cause of his continued abb
sence and discharged him. A month
later he had lost the savings of three
years, had sold his wife's tewelry and
diamonds and disposed of his household
goods. The close of the season found
him a financial and moral wreck, cal
lous alike to the call of duty as well as
honor. For years he had been consid-
cred pattern of rectitude. He had en-
ioyed the confidence of his employers
and large circle Of friends and the
love of a good woman. His one sue
cessful encounter with the bookmakers
changed the course of his life. He
wanted to get rich without work In
stead of winning, he lost. Then he
kept on gambling to make good the
deficit. He began to lose regard for
truth, became notorious liar, abused
his wife, stripped his home of every
thing worth having, and sank to the
level of common vagabond. Here is
ample material for novel which might
be entitled: playing the Races from
June Till November" It would be a
realistic story, based on actual facts
and one whose general circulation
might prove great benefit.
The average daily attendance at city
races is said to be four thousand. Fully
one-fourth of this number is 'broke"
at the close of the days programme.
One of the great curses of all species OF
gambling is that the unluclzy player ex-
poets to make to-day's losses good to-
morrow. But the coveted tomorrow
never comes. Instead come debts. pee
ulation. misery and the weeping Of
women and children.
A pawnbroker who has Done busi-
ness In Chicago for more than twenty
years is authority for the statement
that never before in the history OF tbs
city was the demand for loans so uni
form and SO steady as during the past
racing season. Precious stones and
1ewelry of every description were Of
fered in such profusion that the money
lenders were actually unable to meet