The San Francisco call., 1896-10-15

heSOluLlOn OF tHeI ReSOlutlGn OF the
ministers passed last Merchants Exchange
Monday: passed las night:
WHEREAS, Pool-sell- Rescued, That the
ing al racetracks is a Californ ia Jockey Club
form OF gambling, and has the Endorsement of
the Supervisors of Ala the Merchants Ex-
meda at one sitting change, and that the
hastily granted per- Board of Supervisors
mission for pool-sell- be requested to allow
ing at the rAcetrack, it to conduct its busi-
Supervisor Talcott pro- ness with the under
testing; therefore, we, standing that no pools
represe II tn tives OF be sold other than on
Christian churches, do The races run on the
most earnestly protest local track, and that
against the action OF no races be run on
the Supervisors, and Sunday.
request that the per-
mission be reconsid-
ered
Director Fish of the Merchants Ex-
change, who is the author of the resolu-
ton indorsing the Supervisors, has made
much inquiry into the matter.
II have lately been called upon,n said
Mr.. Fish, "by representative of Thomas
Williams, president of the Oakland Rae
ing Association. He told me what had
been done at the track and what the asso-
clation intended to do. l am a passably
fair Christian, and 1 know for a fact that
some of the church people of this city are
trying to pledge the Supervisors and
candidates to vote, if elected, against al
lowing the association to carry out their
enterprise. This racetrack will bring
thousands of dollars into this city. Mr..
Williams came here to live and right now
he is spending $500 month for his per-
sonal expenses. This enterprise has al
ready spent 1925, 900 in Oakland for mate
rial and labor. They propose to stay here
permanently. All over the sporting world
Oakland will be advertised by this enter
prise.
Business men will not be able to read
newspaper anywhere in the civilized
world without hearing of Oakland. am
told that from fifty to 100 families will To-
cate in Oak land-familIes worth all the
way from 100000 to $500, 000 Here are
people who have money and spend it. and
will spend IL here instead of going to
Southern California. This Oakland Rae
ing Association intends TO patronize this
city in every way possible. They will
spend $4,000 a month for running ex-
penses. We must do sonnet hing to offset
the narrow-mindeo policy of the people
who are trying to iniure US"
Director Sohst was very emphatic.
THAT element which tries to induce the
Supervisors to drive the races away from
oakland is the element which has been a
curse to this town for the last twenty Fl We
years." said Mr.. Sohst. Mr. Williams
has said that if he mad known that ne
would meet with this opposition he would
have located elsewhere. These are the
same people who opposed the cree ion of
the Macdonough Theater They didn't
want a theater here at all. They preach
against theaters and they run all over the
world attending them-all over the world.
Paris not excepted. They all go there.
And We would all go there if we could, but
we have to send our ministers instead.
This is serious question. Like Mr.. Fish.
1 am somewhat of Christian. l send nv
children to Sunday school and believe
in churches, but / also believe in a little
business, and when these gentlemen come
to Us with a way of making times better.
when they don't ask US for a cent. but
bring money and hundreds of people
and a continual stream of business into
Oakland, l am in favor of encouraging
them.
1.-THE poor farmer gets the most OF the
benefit of this thing. There are from 1900
To 5000 horses to be stabbed at the track
and these horses need bedding, they need
hay and straw. They will be supplied
from Alameda and Con- ira Costa counties.
Bicycles don't eat hay, nor do the girls
that ride them, but horses do, and the
good road into Contra Costa County that
we have been fighting for heretofore bene-
hted only the cyclists, because the farmer
couldn't sell his hay when he got il here.