The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-11
rIrn rRorrrn AND rAoER.
new the view License system Tor Drivers VIII
n. HasiE's Views.

wsrk-w. n. Has,s's Views.
The one thing talked about by the trotting
fraternity yesterday was the action OF the N. T.
A. congress in changing the rules of harness
racing. Although there Is q radical difference
OF opinion respecting the wisdom OF some OF the
amendments to the turf code. horsemen agree
that in the main the work Of tho congress was
we'll done. The unanimity OF the vote against
hopples was tho big surprise Of the congress.
Everybody had been looking forward to q stub
born and close fight. Col. William Edwards
said yesterday:
when Ed Upton came to tho subject of
hopplcs In reading the report OF the Rules Com
mitteo 1 braced myself in my chair uncon-
~sciously. waiting for tho fierce attack which I
was sure would come. But the delegates were
nearly all on one side. There was no opposition
worth talking about. / am satisfied now that
we could have passed a rule abolishing hopples
at once"
Nearly everybody was taken by surprise when
a majority Of the votes was mustered in favor
of tho plan TO license drivers. Even the leading
advocates Of the measure say they expected to
sec 1t beaten. The opponents say 1t would have
been beaten II the opposition forces had
been handled moro skilfully in the par
hamentary maneuvring which preceded
tho final vote. President Johnston, Sec
IiSSss II A Al Z. +. 4; T GPnpe:, a iRS S s5hsF t lSsa tSs
license system was n necessity. and that 1t will
operate without annoyance to any one concerned.
Each applicant for n license will be required to
have HIS application indorsed by an officer of the
n. 7. A: or by the Postmaster OF the place where
accompany the application will also be indorsed
By the sponsor for the applicant IN order to head
pa Say d aiiselnp seeking * fsn 20 iFa Se t nndeer ar assumed S u ned
names. On receipt Of this application Secretary
Gocher will. If the applicant is found to be In
good standing on the books of the NJ I. A., issue
to whom it is Issued. This license the driver
ing upon weighing out to start in a race.
The clerk Of the course. having at hand q list OF
pended. may then stop the driver il he sees 1T.
William Il. Fasig, the Hon. ID. J. Campau George
Archer, and other equally prominent horsemen
think the licensing system is unnecessary, and
is calculated 10 do moro harm than good. Fasig
had this to say yesterday about the innovation:
accomplishes anything which couldn't, be &C.
complished Just as well and a good deal more
Nobody has answered the suggestion OF Mr..
Campau that II it is necessary, to provide for
the Identification Of drivers the best way to do
ton lon of horses. II the Identity Of a horse is gpes-
his identity before he can get his money in a
race. Why not apply the same principle to
in its application. to. horses: 1t would
SnS w j%St as avoid %sll II mo aPRlie 81 to So,h eriv sPal
expense, which the license scheme is going to
necessitate IL 1t is enforced. / believe. too. that
it will lead to more fraud than it will ever pre-.
vent. Another objection to the scheme is that
it tends to PROFESSIONALISM %trotting. The sport
has always been to a great extent in the hands
OF amateurs: men who maybe owned
q good horse got him agoing. them
selves and started him once or twice a
It should be the policy of the n. T. A. to encour-
age such men. not to hamper them with a
'Raines law for horse racing. Three.quarters
OF them will never take the trouble to get a
license. and besides they wouldn't apply for
one II 1t could be had without either trouble or
expense. License drivers and you make a move
toward bringing the sport down 10 n cold,
business basis. which win do it harm instead Of
good"