Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-18
Race Meetings on the Cedar
Valley Circuit Have Been
Uniformly Successful
EVILS OF TIME SUPPRESSION
Sawyer Writes Of the Checker Cham
pionship-Lon Dillon May Develop
the 2:o2 Horse-Horse Racing and
Gamblins-chanoe for Successful
Running Meet at Marshalltown.

successful this year. Cedar Rapids,
Waterloo and Marshalltown have each
made good. The racing has been ex-
cellent at all these points and will
draw crowds and entries another year.
Oskaloosa opens next week and prom
ises to make her usual excellent show
ing as a race town. Marshalltown's
meet was especially success.
| Betting appears to be an inevitable
accompaniment of successful racing. 1t
goes so naturally with the horse races
as to excite small comment even from
those opposed to gambling in any form.
| Ii betting is to be permitted, however,
the Cedar Valley circui: should sell its
book privileges to a different class of
odds layers than cinched a lead pipe
about every speculative proposition
which bobbed up at the recent meet
ing in Marshalltown. Boswell was
tight enough, but the Howards pinched
the odds to the sure thing limit. There
is not so much difference as distinc-
ton between such a book and a pair
of gum shoes and a sandbag. Both are
out for all the money and usually bring
1t home. OF course the man who bucks
a dead moral is a fool, but 1t is the
duty of society to protec. fools against
themselves. 1t is possible to distin-
guish between gambling and actual
piracy-but it takes good eyesight-
sometimes.
The checker championship continues
to cast a bloody shadow on the MOON
David Millar. of Bows. claims the
championship and declares he chal-
lenged Sawyer of Traer. Immediately
Upon his winning the trophy at the
Bows tournament. In this Millar is
supported by a statement published in
the Dows Advocate some weeks ago.
Now comes T.. d. Sawyer. the winner,
and in communication 10 this column
denies the allegations of Mr.. M!llar. Mr..
Sawyer says Kibbie challenged first
and was accepted by him. Millars
challenge came second and was ac-
cepted by Sawyer to be played off
within ten days after the Kibbie match
if Sawyer retained the trophy. Saw
Sawyer further states awaited a chal-
lenge from Millar for two weeks before
accepting that of Chaser. of Traer, and
rests on Mr.. Sawyer's word, no conmu-
kibbie.
The whole matter seems a mix-up
1.,;,> ,nfl
the championship is not likely to bring
him anything but trouble. A cham
pionship not won in competition isn't
worth much in public estimation. None
OF the players decries Mr.. Millar's skill.
He is probably the best player who
competed. He seems to have butted in
for the first chance and the others seem
to have been disinclire1 to allow it.
There has, perhaps, been lack of con-
sideration on both sides. Kibbie has
the watch and is in honor bound to
play for it. He should play at once or
give up the trophy. Mil.sr should chal-
lcnge and await his chance. And a
dozen or so of the grandfathers and
representative citizens of Iowa should
conduct a checker contest with fairness
and dignity.
Was there ever race meeting where
the question of actual time suppression
did not come before the timers? Prob
ably not. 1t gets to be a vital affair
when field of entries says to the
timers, Keep us in the 'umphty-
umpth' class and we'll give you a horse
race. but we can't afford to drive to a
lower mark for the short money hung
up If the timers refuse, 1t is up to
the judges to force a contest or allow
loating match. In most instances the
timers say, Go out and race; We'll pro-
tect you Then lots of times you get
horse race.
But while so often allowed from mo-
tives of friendship or expediency, it is
never the right thing to do. 1t is rank
injustice to the starters which really
are in the class to keep winner able
to smother the field in cne class when
he has honestly broken into another.
While 1t may develop a fast heat or
two at one meeting, it has baneful eff
feet on the succeeding ones. Few own
ers are going to follow q fast one to
the next town with 4 foreknowledge of
certain defeat They ship off the cir
cult and the succeeding meetings tind
that a full entry list doesn't always
mean full field. In justice and fair
ness the rules of the American Asso-
citation should be enforced. There Is
not one meet out of ten where the rule
against time suppression and half
dozen others are not broken. Keep the
game as straight as possible. Let the
money nav for the mark.
Lou Dillon turned the trick last Sat
urday as predicted in this column and
forced Alix's abdication as queen of the
trotters by mile in 2:031s, the fastest
ever trotted by a mare. She was at
the Quarter in :3lA, to the half in
1:O1&. passed the three-quarters In
/: 321. and came the last quarter home
in 81 flat, rated almost perfectly by
Sanders. 1t was a game performance
and only a second and quarter short
of Cresceus, 2:02A. The mare is espe-
c;ally good and strong this season as
her nine indicates and stranger things
have happened than that before the
season, which is still young, closes Lou
Dillon should have become the long
awaited 2:02 trotter.
The harness horseman's contempt OF
the bang tails Is unbounded A rum
ring horse and his rider are red rags
Of exasperation to all the teamsters and
no harness horse starter should be all
lowed Ia handle the flag in front Of a