Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-08-27
After Horse Racing.

I SOOAhANaA w hGh w W.
slider the manifold evils Of horse racing,
immortality, brutality and yuigarity, il
is indeed amazing that the public press
should pander TO the vice ~ IL does.
The excuse generally given for this 1T
fense against morality is that the read
Ing public demands il.
Could concensus Of public senti-
ment on this subject be taken | feel
confident that an overwhelming ma
jority would condemn it in unmeas-
ured terms. The race track indeed
In what sense pray is horse racing
any less degrading than the bull fight
which all civilized people so seriously
condemn IN the Spanish speaking race.
In many respects horse racing is more
reprehensible than the bull fight. ln
the latter case the suffering of the GRIM
inal is only of short duration, whilst in
the case of the horse the suffering runs
into the months all the time it is train
ing for the race.
The keen pangs of hunger which the
poor brute is compelled to endure all
these months when compounded is far
greater than that of the bulls which is
only of short duration. When the
brutality of the case is considered it
certainly is matter for the society for
the protection of animals to take in
hand. And for what is all this diabol-
ism inflicted ON these helpless beings
To contribute to the selection of human
brutes My God ! Considering the
age, the. Roman amphitheater never
exhibited anything more Satanic.
But "de worl do move" 1t is a
source of qualification to the philan-
thropist that every state In the union
has closed the door of the gambling
hell, and one, New Jersey, noble Jer-
sey, has put the ban on the race track.
Let Oregon follow suit. And why
not? Many reasons can be adduced,
two of which only will be mentioned,
lst, brutality, which has already been
considered, 2nd, immortality. In all
ages gambling has been considered as
the worst of vices. Nothing else so
corrodes the human mind, so blunts
the moral perceptions.
Now to say that this vice is inseper.
ably connected with the race track is
only uttering truism which all will
admit. Without the gambling CON
nected with the raYiug there would be
no race track.
But the brutality and immortality
connected with the race track is not all
of its attendent evils. Throughout
long life have noticed that nothing is
so hurtful to the ethical part of our
being as the race track. 1t is strange
and l might say unacceuntable fact
that an undue familiarity with the
horse, the noblest of animals, begets
vulgarity in the individual. To SUBJ
stantiate this statement one has but to
visit the race track. Why exclaims
one, many of the kings and princes of
Europe are patrons of the turf. True,
but that fact is in no sense guarantee
of the character, and might say even
Of common decency.
l have in my minds eye certain
prince with whom no refined gentle
man would for moment associate.
No, neither birth nor title can confer
on the individual true nobility.
But it is unnecessary to argue the
case farther. The multifarlous evils of
the race track are known to all men.
Then why this persistent effort Of the
public press to debauch the mind of
youth by holding up to their gaze the
Infamous race track. The moral senti-
ment of the community is emphatic in
its denunciation of the evil. II is very
gratifying to read that this same senti-
ment has compelled the premier of
En- gland to renounce all connection
with the turf for the future. Now let
Oregon follow in this TRADE against the
race coulse. Let the moral sentiment
of the community express itself on this
subject and 1 am confident that an
overwhelming majority of the public
will condemn the accursed evil in
thunder tones. r. A. CLARK.
Marion Co., Aug. 27.