The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-05
JOCKEY CLUBS ID
 HAVE B|G FIGHT Racing Dates for Next Year to
 to be Allotted NEW ORLEANS CLUB BUSY New Track Will Ask for Division of Events and the Old Club Will
 Contest Against Any Such Action.
NEW ORLEANS CLUB BUSY

Chicago. December 4.-Whether there Is to be d fight among the different jockey clubs through the middle west and south, will be decided tomorrow when the board of stewards of the Western Jockey club meets here in annual session for the pur- pose of allotting racing dates for next year. Although there are many ques- tions to be decided. a clash over racing dates will be the vital Issue. Represen- tatives of three new racing clubs will make application for membership to the controlling organization with requests for recognized racing meetings. These new clubs are the New Orleans Jockey club at New Orleans; Oaklawn Park club at Hot Springs, Ark, and the Union Park club at St. Louis. The latter organiza- ton applied for racing dates last sum mer, but the request was refused, and the club raced as an outlaw track.
 The bitterest conflict over racing dates Is expected from New Orleans where the Crescent City Jockey club has held a monopoly of racing for years.
 Ask for Equal Division.
 The new track will go before tomor- rows meeting and ask for an equal divis- ion of racing dates with the old organi- zation The new track will base It's re- quest upon the ground that a monopoly of dates Is invariably bad for racing, and that 1t has sufficient financial backing to make the meeting a success. Delegations representing both sides spent tonight in lobbying among the different members of the board of stewards, and the pros poets are that tomorrow's meeting of the controlling body will witness a spirited fight between the two factions
 Another division of dates which must be made by the stewards is at Hot Springs Ark, but 1t was stated tonight by representatives of tracks at this place that an amicable agreement had been reached between them, and that all the Western Jockey club would have to do would be to approve of the dates agreed upon.
 The Union Jockey club officials, who conducted an outlaw meeting last sum- mer, will again go before the stewards and ask for recognition. The indications tonight were that the other clubs in St. Louis which are now members of the Western Jockey club will use every eff fort in their power to prevent a division of racing dates Should the request of the Union Jockey club officials be re- fused, 1t Is generally believed that the strife of last year in St. Louis will be repeated
 Nashville Wants Increase.
 In addition to these matters which the board of stewards will have to settle, the Nashville and Lexington jockey clubs will have representatives at the meeting seeking racing dates. Nashville wants an addition of several days to it's spring meeting, and similar increase for the fall meeting. The Lexington club which has not had racing dates for several years, wants meeting nexi spring
 There is little likelihood of trouble over the racing dates among the Chi cago tracks, the controversy which hal come up every spring having been set tied last summer. Whether Washington park which closed last summer, because of the opposition to betting by Mayor Harrison. will announce a meeting for next year, is problematical The general belief is that Washington park will pc granted its usual racing dates and in case the track is kept closed next sum mer, the dtes assigned 1t will be agaih divided among the other local tracks