Delaware gazette and state journal., 1897-07-01
cecil county,a u,,ce tract, Curse.


A resident OF Elkton, Md writes as
follows to the Philadelphia Ledger,
concerning tho evil of race track
gambling that has been fastened upon
Cecil county;
On the train FROM Fhilndslphia yes.
tyrdRy | read With interest and nppre-
citation your editorial In disapproyal OF
the Gibson bill now before the Peen,
sy'vania Legislature, tho object OF
which is to iegRlize pool'aelliDg, sub
iect to certain restrictions.
A few years ago, when the law
abiding. honest citizens nf Now Jersey
began to. make il very nncomfortR
hla for the gnmbling fraternity OF
Gloucester and Guttenhurg, q very
innocent looking bill was put through
our Maryland Legislature, suppnsably
in the interest Of the managors 81 agri-
cultural fairs and the breeders OF fast
horses. This bill provided for the
selling OF pools for not moro than
thirty y days in any one year on any
race track connected With any agricul-
tural fair or driving park Within the
| Statu.
The result has been that in our
county Of Cecil, adjoining the States oi
| Pennsylvania and Delaware, in a
county where the sale of liquor ia by
law prohibited, race tracks have mul-
tiplied within few miles OF each
other and in one locality tbree or foui
tracks are side by side. the enclosing
fences being the dividing line. Thus,
for two years, untii the beginning ol
the present month, has our communit,
been burdened with all the evils o
race track gambling of the most dis
reputable kind. Our poor laborinl
people, white ami black, forced b.
circumstances, often beyond their con
troll, to associate with these lawles
race track followers, have taken then
into their homes, and those homes bay
been cursed by a plague worse thar
that which has been dopopulatiui
India.
What affects disaRtrously nart of
community affects 10 certain oxten
the whole. and / would like TO say +
every father and mother in Penney
yania, Flight this destroyer as yo
would fight the tiirest peetilence Q
history" IL is evil and only evil an
brings no permanent good, financial q
otherwise. IF some of the best men o
our town and few Of US women coul
60 TO Harrisburg and tell your legiI
lHtors in plain unrarnished laug
simply part Of what we have ser
aud do know, OF what we learned tC
lats TO save ourselves. it seems to NJ
no honest man could by his vote assIs
TO fasten such curse upon his FRIEND
and neighbors and upon the fair couI
, ties of Pennsylvania.
Il
The warning thus conveyed to I'll
! people of Pennsylvania is applicable
. tho people of Delaware as well, for y
are threatened with the inaiction
0 race track gambling upon this State
legislative sanction. A bill was intT
!, duced at the recent session Of OF
7 Legislature, authorizing horse racir
8 with pool.selling privileges. and it
t expected that at the ad diourned ssssIt
9 to be held next January Determine
!. y effort will be made to baye this b
I enacted into law.
}. Meanwhile, the good people OF II
Q State who are opposed to this pc
y nicious legislation should persistent
y make their opposition felt They shou
= endeavor to make the proposition
10 obnoxious that by the time tue LegI
N lature meets no member will have t
J. hardihood to give the race track b
- countonance or support, An hont
y public sentiment can defeat I
" threatened evil il properly direct
ID and forcibly applied.