The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-26
NEW TROTTING RULES.

The new rules adopted by the National
Trotung association were all in nature
of steps in the right direction, but the
evil which needed most attention has not
been remedied. To allow betting on heats
of trotting or pacing races is to wink at
fraud. Many drivers who think them
selves honest and who would scorn to
pull" a race would not object to laying
UP a heat just to accommodate a friend;
or, as is more often the case, to make a
little sure money on their own accounts.
The trotting rule makers recognized the
danger of heat betting, but lacked the
courage to pass a rule prohibiting it. The
rule doing away with hopples after this
year is a good one and so is the new
provision compelling drivers to take out
a license. The full text OF the rule re-
garding licenses follows:
Section l. No rider or driver shall be al
lowed to compete on the grounds of a
member until he shall have obtained a
license from the secretary of the n. T. A.
Such license must be applied for annually.
Each application must give the full name
and address of the applicant, witnessed by
an officer of the association. or by the
postmaster of the place where he resides
of the applicant.
.. In case of emergency a member may
permit a rider or driver to compete pend
ing an APPLICATION for license, but in all
cases the winnings of the horse or horses
driven by him shall be withheld until the
license is issued or notice received from
the secretary of the N. T. A. to pay the
premium. If, at the end of thirty days
the license is not procured the premium
retained shall be distributed among the
other horses under the rules.
8. a license can be revoked by order of
the president of the n. T. A, subject to
appeal to the board of review, and sus-
pended until penalties imposed by order
of a member, are provided for
4. a license will be issued free Of charge
to all riders or drivers against whom
there are no claims on the books of the
\. T. a. when the APPLICATION is filed.
;. Riders and drivers must provide and
wear their own distinguishing colors, and
or other public performance unless, in the
opinion of the judges, they are properly
and neatly dressed.
6. No licensed rider or driver can. with
out good and sufficient reason, decline to
be substituted by the judges and any rider
or driver who refuses to be substituted
may be fined or suspende, or bouth.
Z. Any driver who is intoxicated, or who
refuses TO comply with the directions of
the judges. or who is reckless in his con-
duct and endangers the safety of horses
or their drivers in the race. may be re-
moved and another driver substituted at
any time during the race, and the Offend
ing driver may be fined. suspended or ex-
PEELED. And the substituted river shall
be compensated as provided in section 6
of rule q.
s A rider or driver shall not ride or
drive in a race a horse without personal
knowledge as to the eligibility of said
horse to compete in said contest A rider
or driver violating this section shall be
subject to the penalty. If any, that follows
the horse.
. Where any associated member con-
fine its entries and riders and drivers alb
solutely to Its members. then a license for
such riders or drivers shall not be re-
quired.