New-York tribune., 1908-02-20
BATTLE OVER RACING.
HEARING At ALBANY
assembly Chamber Packed to OUer-
fOsrfng-keene attacks HUGHES
TBy telegraph TO The Tribune

Alhany Feb 19--Denunciation Of Governor
Hughes by James r. Keene as a reforrnar sir-
ting away OF Oh one side and "a man of li-+1a
IS narrow mind" in his treatment Of the race be+
ting problem and by Joseph 5. Auerbach. ren-
TeSenTins the Jockey Club, for trying 10 force
his ideas Improperly on the people and rbo
legislature furnished touches Of dramatic n
terest 10 the hearing to-day on the Agnew-Ha-r
bis 70 abolish recerrack gambling
Influence from another department, NJ gor-
errment is as objectionable as the influence -
lhe lobby" declared Mr.. Auerbach AT one ,,oir-
II his defence of the Jockey Club betting and
the Percy-Gray Law, after he had C1aracrerfzad
President Roosevelt as the national alr,7onar Of
ideas and denounced him and Governor Hughes
Is examples Of the modern tendency OF coaroinr
legislative bodies
Governor Hughes knows little Of this sub
5ect' shouted Mr.. Keene in a high Ti+chad
voice after saying that the passage Of rba
Asne7-Hart bills would wipe out great prom
erty interests only TO benefit the pooroorns He
shows a little, narrow mind in his discus
sion OF il. Like all reforn1ers he sits off to one
see and fails 10 consider anything Of the evils
Of the course he advocates"
Hardly less dramatic was an incident when
Senator McCarren, q devOut Roman Catholic
questioned the credentials Of Alphonse G. Koel-
bic, who represented the Federation of Catholic
Societies only 10 be squelched by Mr. KoeIbIe's
prompt declaration that the societies by resoI1-
ton had authorized him TO appear for the
Agnev-Hart bills and he had Archbishop Far
ley's personal authorization TO represent the
Catholic societies.
The hearing was the largest affair Of the kind
held in years. Every inch Of space in the As
se-nbly chamber Tas filed Throngs jammed
into the lobby behind the rail and chairs were
placed il the wei" cf the chamber The Sen
a7d lT7F71 " 77rY7frr sat
squeezed together al q small table facing the
Speakers. The galleries were thronged q
Ecodly portion OF the spectators being women
Even the Speakers desk served as q seat for
dozens Of persons.
HORsEMEN AND MINISTERS RUB ELBOWS
Members Of the Jockey Club, headed by Nj
6eene. August Belmont, James B. Haggin and
Harry Payne Whitney, horse owners and breed
ers and racetrack followers. were jammed elbow
70 elbow with q throng Of cIergymen. business
men, lawyers and farmers who came 70 fight for
the repeal OF the PerCy-Gray law Agricultural
societies were represented by delegates. and
petitions and telegrams both for and against
the Agnev- Hart bills. were presented The fact
that Henderson Peck. who appeared as deputy
for Ex-Governor Frank s. Black. registered him
s@lt as representing both the Jockey Club and
Jle State Association OF County Fair Associa-
tons. caused z great deal OF comment among
legislators who have heard that the Jockey
Gun was stirring up the farmers 10 oppose the
a--i-ganbIiug bills
Arguments against the bills followed the trend
- those % other years. The irnpossibility of
Stopping betting and the certainty that pool
rooms would receive the benefit Of the regulated
betting which now takes place at the racetracks
were the chief points made besides the stock
argument .lat racing helped the breed Of horses
by encouraging the breeding Of thorough5rels.
On The subject Of betting. though, there was evi-
dent the widest discrepancy, even between the
advocates Of the present system, like Nj Bel Z
mont and M Keene- M Belmont considered
Letting al evil. but ''an Indispensable evil" Mr.
Auerbach said betting was evil incident 10
racing. but regulated BY the Jockey Club, whica
shut OF information from poolrooLns- Mr. heene /
said that the only protection the people had /
against poolroouls were the Jockey Club and Che /
New York racing circuit. Tor pooroons were (
rur wide open in New York City when there was |
racing IN ether states where the Information was /
available 70 the pooroorn keepers
The representative men interested in the rae /
ing and breeding Of thoToughbreds who came up /
On z special train from New York to be present |
the hearing follow Harry Payne Whitney,
h T Oxnard. James r. Keene, Francis c.
Bishop. Colonel Milton Young. James b Hag-
sin. James Butler, August Belmont John H
Rogan. ?. J Dvyer. Robert Mcdonnell. Andrew
Miller W A Engeuan. Cornelius FeIowes,
Charles II. Hyde James Metcalf, George Miller
G Howard Davidson. W c Percy, Henderson
Peck Elliott Cowdin Jouett Shouse, John T.
Cowdin. Frank T Clark, Joseph . Auerbach ]
John Boden. Rev. Thomas A Hyde. c j. Fltz
Gerald. Fred Rehberger Major P P Johnson
president National Trotting Association; ].
Harry Alexander H K. Knapp, Dr. J. .. Green
s. s Rowland Schuyler l. Parsons John san
ford. Robert Sedgwick, Z c La Montague W.
z REYNOLDS and Edward OShaughnessy.
MR. AUERBACHS ARGUMENT.
Joseph 6 Auerbach, representing the Jockey
Club. was The first speaker OF those who opposed
the Governors proposition TO abolish racetrack
gambling He talked for long time about the
evils Of outside influence toward shaping legls-
lation and assured the Codes committees Of his
belief that they were not going TO have their
Continued third