The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-02-17

NEW ORLEANS. La, Feb. l6.-With
the final days Of February comes 10
the professional campaigner a sense Of
the near approach OF the day or days
the blow" 10 the Northern summer
tide racing grounds. Just at this time
anticipation and expectation Of the
coming months is In every mind, and,
If truth must be told, the general feel
ing is none too bUoyant. for the grand
institution Of the turf is sorely beset
by it's enemies on all sides.
This is the hour OF its tribulation,
for within the space OF eight days the
Legislatures Of two States-ArKan-
sas and Commensurate measures
which effectuaIIy kill racing in those
respective sections.
Now comes news Of a brewing agita-
ton against the sport in southern Cal
ifornia. where the professional poHti-
clans have a finger in the pie al Los
Angeles. Cal. and the quiet but never
theless systematic attack the reform
ers are waging at Albany. y. Y, against
the foundation of the metropolitan turf
There will be no racing at Montgomery
Park. Memphis. Tenn, or at Cumber-
land Park. Nashville, Tenn. this ysar.
The game IS cooked at Hot Springs,
Ark, and with the race courses in MS
nois and Missouri crumbling into decay
through dlsuse, due 10 race track betting
being a mlsdemeanor in those States, the
whole West may be said to be dead
10 the pastime Of racing thOroughbreds.
On the whole. the situation IN the East
is none too reassuring.
30
thoroughly intrenehed than anywhere
other than New York. In New York
they say racing will live as long as Au-
gust Belmont lives. In a nutshell, there
is the state of affairs, and, OF course
the man who makes his living from fol-
lowing the ponies. or the man or woman
who delights IN a holiday at a track
sice, where d decent number of favor
ties come home. is distressed at the out
look, with the first real meeting at Ben
ming but month or so away.
THE racing people have themselves
to blame" remarked a weIl-informed
man in matters of the turf and poll
tics at the st. Charles Hotel paddock
to-day. ''for the owners of race tracks
in the West were content 10 go along
year after ear, satisfied 10 let well
enough alone and without regard to
caring for the goose which all the while
kept laying the proverbial golden egg.
In Chicago the owners of the several
courses kept grinding out fat dividends,
but never once thought of making the
turf a strong, permanent institution by
any one OF a half-dOzen methods of
ready suggestion. For instance. a State
racing commission, with a total ignoring
of the bookmakers, would have per-
manized racing in Illinois, for then the
bookmaker would have been private
individual with a constitutional right
to make a wager with some other pri-
vate individual. You see, what makes
racing in this country vulnerable to the
evangelical reformers is the fact that
the race track owners will try to milk
the bookmakers Of money in the way OF
privilege fees. So long as the owners
and promoters looked to the bookmakers
for source of revenue, just so long
did they endanger the existence of the
sport.
Five years ago the sentiment of the
country was for clean racing: rather
sentiment would tolerate the game
under this condition. That was the tim,
the Cellas. of st. Louis. No. and the
COrrigans and the COndons, Of Chicago
Ill, should have gotten together and
effected a State racing commission and
other favorable racing legislation.
AT Benning last autumn the enemies