New-York tribune., 1908-02-07
SUPPORT FOR THE FAIRS
4RMSTRONG,S PROMISE.
Direct and Regular appropriations
Indicated IN Letter to Agne1c.
nv Telegraph to Tho Tribune-I

.,..r Eeh s-Direct appropriations for the
agricultural societies were promised To-Day ny
Senator Arms -rong, chairman or the SENATE -
a.,o cor,u;.tee TO take the place of the D per
cent tax on gate receipts of racing assoclatlohs
which now goes to help out the falr associations.
AS a result the advocates of Governor f1usheS >
recommendation that racetracK sahioiiiis De 60 60,
isbed believe that all ground for opposition from
the farmers has been wiped out and that the
course of this legislation will be fairly smooth.
Senator Armstropgs announcement was maoe IN
letter to Senator Agnew, introducer OF the anu
gambling legislation in the upper house lie de-
clared il 60 b. the programme OF his committee
not only To appropriate s250,oO0 this year for the
county fair societies. but to do it in such fashion
as to indicate that this appropriation was the
policy of the state toward the farmers. His let
ter follows:
this committee upon your bill making an appro-
priation for the agricultural fairs, | beg to say
that l consider such hearing quite unnecessary.
1t is our intention, if the Ways and Means Com
the support Of agricultural fairs. as usual, quite
without to to ae aRd t 9 it IN
such. way, if possible, that it will be understood
such w e annual n APPROPRIATIONS
You will see, therefore that the appropriation
so far are concerned is quite unaffected by
the success or failure of the anti gambling bills
and SO it is unnecessary to take either our time
or yours in a discussion OF any assumed reia'ioh
between the measures
This attitude of the chairman of the Finance Com
nittee is bound to have most important effect on
the success of the anti-race gambling measures pre-
sented by Senator Agnew and Assemblyman Hart
1t removes utterly the argument which the county
fair people have used toward such legislation IN
past years-that there was no certainty tney
would get appropriations to take the place OIL
the per cent tax. Their attitude is shown to be
slightly disngenuous. else based on dense ls-
norance by the fact that each year an appropria-
ton has to be made for them because the receipts
from the tax on gate earnings never have been I'D
to the amount expended by these societies for pre-
rnuns and so the state has made the difference
Last year this appropriation was S40.oOo More
that that their attitude of opposition to the aooi
ton of racetrack gambling somewhat strange,
since their money comes not from tax on race
gambling but on gate receipts of the racing asso-
Citations.
Legislators from the country districts report that
there is much sentiment among their constituents
for the enactment of the anti-gambling legislation
The action of the master of the State Grange in
advocating these bills is pointed more truly
indicative of the farmers attitude on the subject
than the opposition of the county fair people some
legislators say that the county fairs have fallen
into the hands of certain ciques who do not at all
represent the best sentiment of the agricultural dis
tricts and that in some places the fair management
is in discredit with the farmers of these places.
Assemblyman Merritt, chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, would not commit himself or
his committee to the course outlined by Senator
Armstrong He said that before he promised any
thing of the he would have to talk it over with
Senator Armstrong and put it up to his committee.
Four extremely drastic bills making gambling of
any sort, in public or private, punishable by one
years imprisonment were introduced to-day by As
semblyman Yale, of Putnam County, by request.
The bills make elaborate the definition of
lottery and the optional punishment of fine
for violation of the law. make stock gambling pun
ishabe like any other form of gambling, and pro-
hibit gambling at cards or in any other way in any
hotel club private house, and prohibit also buy
ing chances in any form Of church lottery. Some
people see in the various bills of this character
which have been introduced scheme of fighting the
antirace gambling bills by carrying the proposition
to obnoxious extreme.