New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-19
SCENES AT MONMOUTH PARK.
FALL OF A NOTED RACETRACK.
NO LONGER IN THE ENJOYMENT OF POPU.
LAR FAVOR.

LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE MANAGEMENr-
THE CROWDS OF EARLIER DAYS ABSENT
RIFF-RAFF AND SCUM CONSPICUOUS.
If the attendance at the Monmouth Park races
continues TO fall of as it has been doing since
the management there, by ruling from their
grounds the representatives of this and another
Ncw-York newspaper, in effect announced that
press reports must conform 10 their wishes and
interests, it will soon consist chiefly Of track
owners, trainers, bOOl<mak kcrs and what, for wlnt
Of a more descriptive name. may be called ladies'
in-waitng. This season las not supplied
finer day than yesterday Though the tcInpcri-
ture was high delicious breeze blew refresh
ingly, and the great court. the betting ring and
the grandstand were never more comforfable
The programme was varied ard interesting. Two
frst-class stakes were run for, and nothing was
poor but the crowd. For Monmouth it was no
crowd at all, scarcely more than sprnkng OF
people. The highest claim TO its proportions
that the gatckecrers dared to make was OF a paid
attendance of $500: but this, probably. was far
in excess of the truth. All told perhaps, with
those classes included who are used by the track
owners and bookmakers decoys, body Of men
and women that have discreditaby increased at
Monmouth Park since that splendid establishment
ceasei 70 b. tn, property of turfen rather than OF
gamblers, there may have been $500 people in tho
crowd But in character we'll as in numbers
il was anything hut Monmouth crowd. In the
old days, when the management OF Monmouth
was in the hands Of ID. ID. Withers. James Galway
and A. J. Cassatt, such a programme "a was pre-
sented Yesterday would have easily brought to-
gethcr an asscmbage of 5000 or 10000 people,
more than half of whom would have been men and
women of wealth and refinement, coming from
the beaches, as well as from this city and tho
Jersey towns. But of that class there were pres
cnt yesterday not enough To make respectable
showing
IL il practical y true to say that there was not
a well known face in the crowd, unless known as
the face of a gambler a turfman. The crowd,
such it was, made up of young people, tho
great body of whom were such as could be seen in
the poolrooms in this city before Mr.. Croker, hav-
ing become horse owner and anxious to promote
attendance az the races, virtuously required the
poolrOoms be closed. The public that loves rac-
ing sport that secs in running horse one OK
the finest exhibitions of physical activity and en-
durance, and, having plenty of money, delights IN
riSking il such contests honoraby conducted,
was conspicuouSy absent. Its att ondancc has been
constantly declining since Monmouth Park fell
into the hands of its present owners and now that
the Monmouth management has given notice that
the newspapers, upon which this part Of the
public must solely rely for the information that
guides it in betting. must adapt their reports 10
the wishes of tho track-owncrs and tn" require
mcnts Of the bookmakcrs, or submit to have their
representatives. elected from the grounds, people
Of wealth and character apparently prefer to stay
away. They seem to understand that the chances
against them in making wagcrs are sufficiently
numerous without their being made the victims
1iotat tod b,- Tho LOT
teries, policy games faro-banks and racetracks in
imitation Of Guttenburg.
COMPLAINTS OF THE BooKMAKERs.
The bookmakcrs at Monmouth arc complaining.
II is they who tie trackowncrs Of profit
able meeting. There are sixty of them, and they
pay 81 90 day for the privilege Of making books
Their necessary expenses about $50 moro
daily They must recover at the least $4,000
day from the crowd TO save themselves from
actual loss They are not class of people who
do business for nothing. The summer season Is
their harvest. Literally they must make hay
while the sun shines, and when they begin to
complain the trackowners have something to think
about No matter how covered or disguised. the
connection between the management OF race
track and the professional gamblers is necessarily
close Whatever happens the hoolfmakers muse
he protected for the splendid fund they pour
into the treasury of the trackowners is the chief
support of the meeting. The Monmouth gamblers
are not in good humor. In their expressive
phrase the races have been " breaking favor
ably. That is, the horses which the puohc gen.
erally expected to win, and upon which tho
money has been most heavily stakcd. have not
been successful, and the books upon the amount
of business done have come ont all right. But
the amount of business has been small. and is
growing smaller daily This was the fourteenth
day of the Monmouth meeting. There are thirty
two days Yet to come. but the crowd Attending
is S. crowd The 500 and the $500 crowd
keep their money in their pockets and sagaciously
inquire why it is that newspaper men WHO tel
the truth and who possess the ability TO tell IL
with effect, and upon whose statements and COM
ments and opinions they generally rely. are eX-
cluded from the Monmouth grounds They want to
know what tits that the track-owners are afraid
of: what goes on that they don't like 10 SEQ
in print. and why the appearance of frank and
open criticism should have the effect, not OF
causing an inquiry into the conduct OF trainers,
jockeys and bookmakers but of causing sud-
den and frenzied war against the newspaper
writer's
THE OCCUPANTS OF THE GRAND STAND.
Nobody who admires the sport OF horse
racing can fail profoundly to regret the estate
into which Monmouth has fallen. Its track is
one of the finest in the world; its general 40
for the entertainment OF the puo-
lie are nowhere surpassed. It's magnificent court.
with wide and spacious promenade gently sop-
ing to the track, with a vast betting ring, $50
feet in width, giving ample accommodation to
the greatest crowds, and its immense grand.
stand. rising tier above tier high into the air. ana
affording from every seat splendid view OF
the track. complete arrangement perfectly
adapted to the convenience of the public. But
ALI of this is of small Importance without con-
ddence in the MANAGEMENT. Fronting the grand
stand and looking into it yesterday. it was to
he observed that about one seat in ten was
occupied The occupant was generally sallow-