The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-18
Cu1RTER DIX PARK,
What tho Spirit of the Times Says Con
corning Its Proposed Extinction.


ing the proposed extinction of Charter
Oak park:
Every horseman on this continent
who is interested in trotting sport will
learn with the deepest regret that the
classic and famous Charter Oak mark
will be put up at auction and sold with
out reservation to the highest bidder at
noon on Saturday, April 4. 1t was we'll
known some time ago that the asso-
citation had decided to so out of ex-
istence, and had applied to the court
for winding up, and this sale is a
natural sequence. Yet the announce
rent will be a shock not only to the
horsemen' of the Nutmeg state but to
the thousands of horsemen from all
section who made an annual pilgrim
age to Hartford. The directors, though
in legal position to have sold months
ago, did not arrive at final decision
until Saturday, March Z, and we can
easily imagine that it was only with the
greatest reluctance they accepted the
inevitable
The land was bought in 1872 and the
association has been up to the close of
It's career one of the most prominent
members of the grand circuit. Under
the able and enterprising administra-
ton OF the late secretary, T. o. King
its meetings We're the star events of the
eastern trotting season, and equalled
and riyalled the best meetings of the
year. The $4,000 Charter Oak stakes
was race of national reputation 1t
brought together the fastest horses of
the class and was won by the leading
campaigners of the times. Mr. King
was one of the first men to see the i'm
portance and popularity of futurity
stakes, and inaugurated three of $4,000,
$4,000 and $4,000 each, which were to
be repeated yearly. His untimely death
and later on the passage of the anti
pool law in Connecticut prevented it's
renewal. 1t was in the magnificent
noontide of Charter Oak parks pros
perity and power when the anti-pool
law was passed that at once destroyed
high class trotting sport throughout the
state. The directors decided to be pa
tient and await the next meeting of
the legislature, hoping that wiser coun-
sells would prevail and that the law
would be so amended as to permit pool
selling on trotting tracks during the
continuance of a meeting. In 1898 the
association, in order to carry out their
stake engagements, held a joint grand
circuit meeting with the Driving club
of New York. In 1894 the association
decided to hold grand circuit meet
ing at Charter Oak park and fairly and
squarely test the question as to the
til rs al n
meeting in strict conformity to the
anti-poollaWs. The executive was deter
mined that the Puritanical supporters
of the obnoxious blue law should not be
able to say that the association did not
give the law a fair test, and was not
able to give facts and figures to prove
that high class racing was financially
inpracticabIe under the law. The meet
ing was held. The program was of
grand circuit proportions. The entries
were above the average and the sport
was of the highest class, but the meet
ing lost about 100000
Should the track go out of existence
the loss to Hartford and the state
would be irreparable. Outside of Hart
ford's reputation as a great insurance
center it's best advertisement is it's
grand annual meeting, and it is safe to
say that it brought to the city an in
come Of 100000, or the interest at 5
per cent, of $2,000,000. This meeting
helped to stimulate the breeding inter-
ests of the state, which must neces-
sarily suffer in state which legislates
against the sport. 1t is to be hoped
that some public spirited citizen of
Hartford who has wealth and patience
will buy the track and wait for bright
er days and a more liberal legislature
Editorially the Spirit of the Times
says:
Why the people of Connecticut should
have taken steps to cripple an enter
prise that reflected so much honor on
the state is one of the things difficult
to explain, but the spirit of silence
which has brooded over the park for
two years is convincing testimony that
such steps were taken. The permanent
closing of the gates of the driving park
means an annual loss of thousands of
dollars to the beautiful city of Hart
ford, and if the energetic people of that
community are wise they will form a
syndicate and buy the property when it
is offered at public outcry. Time, which
softens all things, will crystalize SEN
invent in favor of more liberal legisla-
ton, and the prestige of Hartford as
theater for brilliant harness horse dis
plays may be restored. The effort to
accomplish this is we'll worth making,
and we hope that Charter Oak park
will live under another corporation.