Evening journal., 1897-01-07
THURSDAY. JANUARY 7. 1897.
RELATIVE TO oUTLAwED TRACKS


RELATIVE TO OUTLAwED TRACKS
There Is no doubt that at the session
of the General Assembly just opened
an effort will be made to secure the
passage Of a law legalizing pool-selling
within this state. The Law and Or
der Society and other organizations
and individuals who are interested in
the public and private morals Of our
little commonwealth are on their guard
and watching for the appearance of
tangible evidence of such vicious legisla-
tion, and when the proper time comes,
those who are interested in the passage
of a pool-selling bill will find them
selves confronted with protest which
the members of the General Assembly
must heed.
New Jersey had a sorrowful exper-
ience in this respect, but she asserted
herself and drove Billy Thompson and
others Of his ilk out Of the business in
that state, but not until there had
been political revolution which over
whelmed the Democratic party as a
penalty for playing into the hands OF
the race track men.
We have on our borders a race track
system, which is a disgrace to the State
of Maryland and a menace to public
peace and morality. Manyof the Mary
land legislators who helped to pass the
law permitting pool-selling for thirty
days at any track in Cecil county were
ignorant of the sinister purpose which
It concealed. Those who were not in
the scheme believed that the selling af
pool would be confined to the agricul-
tural fair grounds at Elkton. They
never imagined that the law would be
used for the purpose of inficting upon
the county system of Outlawed race
tracks, surprising in magnitude and
heartlessness anything of the kind in
the United States What have they in
Cecil county as the result of that APP
parently inoffensive law? There are
three tracks at Iron Hill; one at Elk
ton; one at Barksdale, and one at
Singerly. These six tracks will main
tain the racing for about seven months
in this year, leaving out the Sundays
and brief intervals between meets
They have introduced into the county a
lawless, reckless and inhumane ele-
ment never before known in that rural
community, which has always in the
past borne such an enviable reputation
for its social institutions, and the asso-
citation is debauching the youth Of the
county.
The Elkton Appeal, one of the most
influential papers in Cecil county, con
tains the following editorial on the
baleful influences of this nest Of out
lawed tracks,
IL was only after a long period of
suffering from the evil effects incident
TO all-the-year-round racing that New
Jersey and other sections of the United
States finally succeeded in suppressing
what had become to be considered an
unmitigated nuisance and a disgrace
to the communities in which il had
been too long tolerated
That sort of sO-called sport, whether
conducted as at Guttenburg. in New
Jersey, at the outlaw track across the
Potomac in Virginia, and other places,
soon degenerates into lawlessness. fol-
lowed by deeds of violence and all the
other detestable practices incident to
the gathering of the sporting gentry
touts, gamblers and toughs generally.
While the races in this vicinity have
not yet reached that low ebb which
followed the all-the-year-round races
elsewhere, 1t is plain to be seen from
recent events, that the majority Of
people will gladly join hands to sus-
press the abOmination.
The record for week is but the be-
ginning of what will doubtless follow.
Within that brief period there were
two cutting or stabbing ARRAYS and
one murder, the list closing by a horse
man pulling a revolver on another.
Many respectable people attend the
races now as heretofore and doubtless
many dollar has been left among
tradesmen, but, sooner or later, If not
already, the town, county and state
will regularity bear the stigma and
look upon this species OF sport as a
curse to the community.
II IS to the credit of the pastors that
they have organized to suppress what
has long had an evil tendency. and in
putting a stop to the racing business
as now carried on. they should have
the assistance Of law-abiding citizens
generally.
This is a word picture of a condition
which certain men of designing ma
ture and INSCRIPTIONS character medi-
tate endeavoring to introduce into the
social life of Delaware. If they at.
tempt to carry out their purpose we
believe that the people will speedily
convince the legislators that they will
not tolerate such an abominabl,
thing
The repeated use i'm nelaware cnurt.