The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-03-19
The Race Track Question.

last week at Elkton eliminated in
committee of safety who appear
to have been given the charge of
directing the battle in future
against the "outlawed race tracks. !"
Outlawed means a branch of the
disreptuable business that has be-
come so ornery that the more gen
teel devotees have kicked them out
of their circle. The following of
this branch of horse racing gathers
about it as it's attaches the very
lowest most hardened class of
society, composed of thieves, black
guards libertines and rowdies.
By taking advantage of a loose
system of laws in relation to horse
racing in this state this class has
squatted in Cecil county, where
they propose to make fight to
stay.
At the Elkton meeting DISPOSE
ton was shown by few to embrace
the entire state in the crusade being
made against the race track. Such
a course would give the enemy a
great advantage. Other parts of
the state where the evil does not
exist would be taken advantage of
by the gamblers in the legislature
to prevent the state law of '94 being
repealed which restricts race track
gambling to 80 days on one track,
or in case of its repeal to prevent
any other bill from passing, and
leave the state without any law to
prevent race track gambling on the
same track or tracks every day in
the year, which might have been
practiced in this state prior to the
passage of the present law, which
the clergy of the state favored and
formed strong lobby that assisted
to get the 80 day-present law.
through. For the defects of the
present law no person or influence
can be justly blamed, and the work
in hand is to have it repealed and
a prohibatory law enacted. If a
prohibatory law is not enacted the
present may as well remain on the
statute unrepealed.
The question seems narrowed
down to the point to be considered
by the Committee of Safety named
by the meeting, shall Cecil county
make fight for the whole state
against the race track gamblers and
run nine chances to one of being
beaten, or shall the work be con
fined to Cecil county, where the
gamblers are located? For the
most obvious reasons the work
should be confined to clearing this
county Of the gamblers, for if beaten
here the people will rise in their
might and prevent them from enter
ing other counties of the state
Cecil is the best location for their
business ON account of railroad &C.
commodations and convenience to
Philadelphia and Baltimore. Ifl
the gang is driven out of Cecil it
will not easily find a habitation and
a home anywhere else in the state.
There is but one sure way to pro-
coed to rid the county of race track
gambling and that way is the plan
adopted to clear the county of
saloons, place the matter in the
hands of the people and allow a |
popular vote for or against pool
selling and betting on races in the
county. If the bill is placed before
the people, shall pool selling and
book making be permitted in Cecil
county the negative would get ten
votes to one in its favor. If people |
want to trot and run horses for fun
or to improve the breed(?) they |
can continue to do so to their
hearts content, but no betting and |
gambling to be permitted.
But if three delegates and one
senator are entrusted with the
business, it is dollars to doughnuts
that the gamblers will come out on
top. There is a possibility of their
being able to buy or circumvent
four men but they cannot buy or
cheat seven thousand voters. If a
bill is passed leaving it to the voters
to accept or reject, the legislature
and the members from the county
clear their skirts of all respon-
sibility. Most obviously it is the
part of wisdom to confne the battle
to Cecil county where the camp of
the enemy is pitched. The fight
will be concentrated on a single
spot, and a defeat there means a
rOut,
A proper bill should be framed
by the Committee of Safety and
every candidate openly pledged to
use his best efforts to secure its
passage and return to the people to
accept or reject by popular vote.
Such procedure would strip the
anti-race track campaign of all
partisan bias and make it in fact as
in name a non partisan movement,
and no other course in our judge
ment will.
The gamblers are organizing a
force to register as voters. By that
I'll |