The sun., 1903-12-07
THE MORALS OF THE JAI ALAI.

WASHINGTON, Dec. Son March %, 1905,
| Secretary Root made brief reply to charges
preferred against Gen. Leonard Wood by
Estes G. Rathbone, in which those charges
were summarily dismissed as being without
just foundation. In that reply, Mr.. Root
described the Jai Alai as a game which Is
somewhat similar to our game OF racquets,
and in which the Cuban people are Interested
| much as our people are interested in the
game OF baseball" The Secretary's in
formation upon the point undoubtedly
came from Gen. Wood. But Mr. Root was
widely misinformed.
In itself, as game, the Basque game OF
Pelota, or Jai Alai, is as innocent as tennis
or croquet, though vastly more skilful and
scientific than either. AS it Is conducted In
Havana it is as pernicious as poolroom.
| While bets are laid on baseball games,
an American audience goes to the ball field
primarily for the keen enjoyment of the
| sport as a sport II betting goes on. 1t Is
conducted privately, between individuals.
| The crowd is there to see the game and not
| for the purpose of betting on it's result. At
| the Fronton in Havana this relation Is
reversed. The crowd is there to make it's
bets on the game and the players. The
| play is an incident The entrance money
| OF the number who would attend solely
| from love of the really exciting sport would
not begin to pay the salaries OF the players.
| 1t is even exec, lingly doubtful whether
| New York city, with its keener interest in
| all sports, and with its fifteen times greater
population than Havana, would be able to
| gather audiences composed of lovers OF the
game whose number would offer even q
fair chance Of profits for the management.
| Twice, at least, the matter has been under
| careful consideration, and there is not yet
| IA Fronton in New York. The acknowledged
obstacle is the inability Of the projectors
I to obtain betting license, and they doubt
the chances Of profits on basis OF popu-
| larity alone.
| Quite as much ground exists for an asser-
ton that Gen. Wood never saw the inside
| OF the Havana Fronton as exists for any
statement that he was ignorant OF the part
played by the gambling feature OF the in
stitution. He had been a frequent attend
| ant at the exhibitions for many months
before he issued his order which violated
| the Foraker law and gave to the Sociedad
Anonima Jai Alai an exclusive concession
| covering a period Of ten years. He had
| many times witnessed the betting in all its
| eager excitement which at times rises almost
! to frenzy. Nor is it possible that he was
| ignorant of the fact that the concession to
| which he gave validity included in its speci-
| flcatons a full and detailed statement OF
| the rules and regulations of the betting.
! For the information of readers, extracts
| from some of the more important OF those
| rules are translated below. The translation
| is made from the pages Of the Ohcid! Ga
zette, a State publication issued solely for
the purpose of giving publicity to Official
acts and proceedings.
Under the title Of Bets (Apuestas), there
| appear twenty-five rules:
l. Bets may be made In three different forms.
called mutual bets free bets and bets tho Quin
| leila this being variation Of the game,.
q The commission to the management b D per
| cent. on the free bets, and ~ per cent on the
| mutuals and Quinielas.
| s. The mutual bets are made Immediately before
the beginning Of an ordinary game. which Is under
! stood to mean game between sides
| T. The amount OF the deposit In favor Of each
side shall be made known by means OF tickets bear
inp the colors of the side which the bet Il mads.
These tickets shall be Issued only from the once OF
| the cashier
S. The issue OF these tickets shall begin an hour
| before the beginning OF the play. and shall be
! ClOSeu lew inhu'eS oeo'e 'no eoAANH>'N"'
| thereof
O. The amount OF the tickets Issued shall be made
Known 20 'he puu"e ,,S. ,,a oomnn,ss,or So n.,
cont, is deducted viii be distributed between the
| holders Of tickets corresponding to the winning
color 10 the proportion 70 which they are entitled
S. Free bets are those which are made. while the
game is being played, through the persons author
i2ed by the management, TO &C, as betting commis-
| sIoners (corredoreN.
O. The amount OF each OF these bets. after tho
commission Is PER cent0 Is deducted shal DC PAID
by the commissioner acting In the transaction to
the person winning the game on which said bet Is
laid
10 to 49, inclusive, are rules and regulations for
the betting on the qu!n!elss. They are OF technical
rather than of general interest. except for their
showing Of the connection between tho betting and
the ONCE OF the cashier Of the institution which Sc
cures Its 10 per cent. commission on all such bets.
10. All the tickets Issued for mutuah and qun-
iela bets and by the betting commissioners In free
bets must bear the seal and countersgn previously
selected and they must also bear the date and num
Der Of the game or Quniels to which they refer.
and by reason OF the fact that they are TO bsarer
only" the management does not guarantee either
the tickets which do not bear all OF these reQuls