Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02
THEY DON'T CARE.
Winter Racers Said to be Indifferent
About Getting a License.
THEY WOULD RACE ANYWAY.
If No Admission Was Charged the
Law Would Be Evaded.
THE LEGISL ATIVE ACT.

That the projectors of the proposed win
ter racing meeting at the Ivy City track
care little, If anything. as to whether the
District Commissioners grant them a license
or not, is very probable, If the friends of
the management are to be believed. A con-
ference between the Commissioners and the
managers of the Ivy City track has been ar
ranged for Wednesday next, when the ques-
ton of granting the license for the winter
meeting will be considered. But it is now
very apparent that the question is giving
the management of the proposed meeting
practically no uneasiness whatever, and 1t
is said that a refusal to grant them the Ii
cense will, in not the slightest manner. in
terfere with the inauguration of the meet
ing. or, indeed, with it's continuance from
the opening day, the 14th instant, to the
time racing may be resumed on the New
Jersey track, March l.
OF course every person the least bit IA
miliar with winter racing in such a climate
as this knows perfectly well that the gate
receipts form an infinitesinal part of the
revenues of such concerns, the great part
If not, indeed, the whole part of the profits
being obtained from the revenues derived
from the betting rirg, through the leasing
of stands therein to the bookmakers, and
from the royalty which the hundreds Of
pool rooms scattered throughout the coun-
suits and other similar Information tele-
graphed directly to them from the track
previous and subsequent to each race. The
extent Of the revenue derived from the bet
ting ring depends, of course, upon the ex-
tent of the attendance at the track. the
number of the bookmakers varying with the
number Of SPECTATORS at the track. Hence,
the one great object of the management
Is to attract to the track the greatest num-
Der Of people possible.
No Admission.
The seventeenth clause of section q OF
the act Of the legislative assembly Of Aug
ust %. 1871. reads as follows: THE mana
gers Of concerts. exhibitions and balls for
gain. not otherwise enumerated. or games
of any kind. where an admission fee is
charged, shall pay for each day So" This
is the particular clause of the license act
under which. under the construction of the
District authorities. race tracks are and
have been licensed 1t will be observed,
from an examination Of the law. that a
license is required only when an admis-
sion is charged. and while the refusal Of a
license to a race meeting where an admis-
sion was charged would subject the man.
agement to a fine of $3.50 in each Instance
for carrying on the meeting. II appears tina
In the event Of the management failing TO
obtain a license no law would be violated,
no penalty incurred. should the manage
ment throw open its gates to the public
and grant free admission to all that desired
to visit the track
| Little Revenue Lost.
So. If the friends OF the proposed Ivy
City winter meeting have been correctly
Informed, and that they have been is not
seriously doubted, the management intend,
in the event Of the Commissioners refus-
ing them license, to dispense with an
admission fee and throw wide open the
gates. granting free admission to all who
may desire to enter.
| That little if really any, revenue will
thereby be lost by the projectors of the
meeting is fully apparent to those ac-
quainted with the management of winter
meetings in this part Of the country, for
local race goers would form but an in
finitely small part of the attendance in the
event of admission fee being charged,
and the horsemen. gamblers, thieves, touts
and others expected from other sections of
the country usually have little difficulty
in securing badges of admission from other
winter tracks. Their failure to be as sue
successful here would prove an exception.
Hence II is for these reasons that the Ivy
City management are said to care very lit
tie whether they are granted a license or