The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-19
$500, 900, 900 ON THE RACES
THAT IS ABOUT THE YEARLY FIG
URa FOR THE UNITED STATES.
New York City's Big share-Gotham
and brooklyn Contribute One-sixth
of the Pool Rooms Revenue.

and adjacent courses a far greater sum OF
money than is required to conduct the
municipal affairs of the great cities OF New
York and Brooklyn. The annual budgets
Of the two big towns do not call for over
S6OO00,000. More than Sl00,0O0,OO0, or
nearly double that amount, Is yearly lost or
won-princIpAlly lost-At the race tracks.
and nobody in particular seems TO be bene-
fitted by this enormous expenditure.
Throughout the United States more
money finds its way to the pool box than il
cost to run the federal government. yet few
seem to be better off by the circulation OF
this vast amount Of coin and greenbacks.
That may not be accused OF exaggera~
ton, will adduce the figures furnished me
by well-known sportsman, who is au au-
| thorlty upon the subject. There are in the
cities OF New York aud Brooklyn, including
suburbs, about 5000 900 people, Statistics
| show that the proportion of male adults Is
one out OF every SIX persons. This would
give 500, 900 TO the two cities with their sub
urbs. My sporting informant tells me
that one out of every eight men, not to
speak of boys, in and about New York and
| Brooklyn, play the races. This means that
| 1880 men daily tempt fortune Some game
| sters play away up IN the hundreds; others
| only invest 1--we or ten spot" while the
lowest that can be wagered ia 81. The mean
| between these EXTREMIST am speaking of
| mems play now, aud not of boys'-has been
| found after close study aud observation, to
| be about $3.50. Five and one-half times
| $500 (the men who play are S34S, 100.
Just think of it, Between $3.50, 600, and
| $780, 600 day spent on the race track In this
immediate vicinity. AS there are 3l3 week
| days in the year, that would mean that the
Titanic sum of Sl06, 493 $50 is annually OK
pended in the same way.
IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
In the United States there are $1,000, 900
of people. The male adult population is II, -
| 600 900. The proportion Of gentlemen with
| sporting blood in their veins is not, of
! course, In the interior commensurate with
| New York or Brooklyn. In cities like AL
oany, Troy. Syracuse, Rochester, Cincin-
natl, Chicago, Denver, Leadville. Portland
and San Francisco, the ratio is in favor OF
the smaller towns. In the country proper,
however, the dead game sport" is rare
bird. OF the II 900, 900 male adults it il esti
mated that only one out Of twenty-five
| tries the equine paradox" That would
make 1000 farmers" las all people OUT
side OF New York are facetiously termed
by metropolitan sportsmsnl, who endoAvor
/ TO tap the pool box. The average invest
ment is considerably lignter in the interior
than III New YORK, say So so each speculator.
| That would make 81 100000 for saon day,
or about $500 500, 900 for the 3l3 working
| days IN the year. A tidy sum Jhat-half a
| thousand billion-the "fRrmsrsn Of the
smaller towns and cities yearly spend in a
futile attempt to ''bsas the horses"
Where does all this money Rol We have
seen that over $l00,000.000 is yearly spent
in and about New York and Brooklyn upon
| the outcome of equine events, and over $780,
0O0 900 in all the country outside the
greater New York." which Is to be- Who
reaps the benefits Certainly not the player,
for outside OF "Pittsburg Phil" George w.
| SMITH, Lucky" Baldwin, III ke Dryer
''Culp Holland and Col. Bill Harding
you never hear Of a plunger who does not
| go broke" trying tue we'll nigh impossible
| task Of winning the smiles Of the equine
siren. The Marquis OF Hastings, the create ,t
OF all pluuRers, blew in one of the finest es-
tates In England. His Losses approximat, d
| i 90, 900, o. about $1,000 600. Jubilee
Juggins (sO-called because he inherited and
wasted a fortune by fast and furious play
ing at the time Queen Victoria celebrated
the fifteth year Of her reign. spent 81, 900, =
900 on turf ventures in q single year. Our
own famous plunger. Walton, won $780,
900 in England IN 1881. Walton backed the
winning horse at three big contests and
raised havoc among the English book
makers. From Arthur Maginis, the
greatest of British sportsmen, Walton took
$500, 900 alone. Two years after the "king of
the American plungers' again visited Eng
land, and he not only lost the 300, 900 he
had won in England, but about $500, 900
more he had picked up on the American
turf the season following his English vent
ure. Arthur Maginis got the lions share
of the plumber. In fact, he was the book
maker who "broke" Walton. He got back
his S400, 900 with tremendous interest.
NO ONE ADMITS GETTING THE MONEY.
The various racing associations claim
that they see very little Of the money at
the end Of the season, although they take In
hundred OF thousands of dollars IN the way
of admission fees. The huge purses they
hang up, together with the thousand and
one expenses which are necessarily incurred,
the officers say eat up all the profits They
are content to do a little better than quit
even" at the close Of the season. The as
sociations, these gentlemen aver, open
tracks and conduct great events, not for
the purpose Of making money, but for pro-
noting honest sport.
Who makes the money, thenl Is it the
race horse owner3 August Belmont. Pierre
Lorillard and eX Mayor and ex-Congress-
man Michael N. holland, the Albany
Croesus, sold out their stables, although
they had the best horses in the country, DO
cause they could not stand the draft upon
their purses. Owning and racing horses is
ad1udged upon all sides to be costly
| luxury. Who sweeps IN the coin, theus Is
it tue bookmaker on the track Ask any
one of them and he will tell you that he
counts himself fortunate indeed If he comes
back 20 town with thousand or two. The
hundred dollars a day be has to pay to the
association for the privilege OF hanging up
his single in the betting ling at the track
and the keen rivalry Of his brother book
makers keep him guessing as TO how he will
meet his obligations.
At last we have IT, 10 must be the city
pool room keeper who catches the nImols
| dollar as il wings its silveTy flight across
the equiue armament. Here, again, We are
disappointed. Inc pool room Keeper If he
is a friend and confideI in you, will whs-
| DER in your ear that his lot is the hardest OF
all First, the landlord insists upon six
times the rent he would get from any other
| tenant. and then-here the hisper becomes
less audible and more tragic IN its intensity
the police must be cared for. Without
"protectionn the pool room keeper can do
no business. To crown his misfortunes, he
will add, the officers Of n certain society,
founded for the purposes Of social regenera-
ton. Insist upon their bit" and he must
give up" or seek for pastures now. With
q Sigh, he concludes by saying that he
counts himself lucky TO have the where
with to pay rent and buy bread for his
family.
TIE JOCKEYS LOSE THEIR SALARIES.
Whose capscious paw, then. grasps aud
| holds the a. long 0reeuW Is it the high