Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-23

a PORTING men in New York have
~ become weary of waiting for q
- subsistence of the moral wave
and have decided to organize a national
league, with branches In every state
Of the Union, for the purpose of COM
batting unreasonable opposition to the
various lines of sport that are the sub
ject of reform activities these days
The passage of the anti-bookmakine
bills in New York, by which the rae
ing interests in the state are killed and
the breeding industry of the entire con-
tinent seriously crippled, caused the
sporting men to decide that the time
for fighting the reformers had arrived
and the National Sporting league is the
result.
James r. Keene, the millionaire Wall
street operator, breeder and horseman
and high-class sportsman, Is the lead
ing character in the movement to or
ganize the league. He thinks 1t Is time
for all honorable sporting men to get
together for common interest, saying
that the reform wave has become OPP
pressiye in it's wildness and is too un-
reasonable in it's sweep and too dam
gerous to all legitimate lines of sport
to be permitted to continue without OPP
position. In a recent statement, he ex-
planned the object of such an organi-
cation in the following words:
The National Sporting league has
got to come. Those of us who love
personal liberty are gradually being
pushed against the wall, and now
that the wall is reached 1t seems
the time has come for us to turn
our back against 1t and fight back.
/ have talked with several gentle
men on the formation of such a
league. The men at the head of the
ffrasr Ioa crffA
those who have the confidence or
the people at large and must be
known for their integrity and hon
esty, Unless we have strong ana
capable hands at the helm the thing
must crumble and fall.
Such league must affiliate with
no party in politics. 1t muso De
strictly, Independent in every sense
of the word. To permit the injec-
ton of politics or to cater to either
of the political parties would be
fatal. / believe that we could in
this state gather under the banner
of personal liberty an organization
of 100000 voters. who in themselves
would WELD a tremendous power.
I am in favor of having an initia-
ton fee of say So for the first year
and 81 for each year after that.
There would be expenses for liter
AZURE and other things incidental
to the welfare of such a league.
Another prominent New York bush
ness man, who also Is identified with
popular sports of the day and who is
interested with Mr.. Keene In the or
ganization of the National Sporting
league, further discusses the objects OF
the league. as follows:
VIII Play Politics
"It will be the primary purpose of
this league to counterfeit pernicious
reform legislation, to inject by force
of numbers and consequently votes
moral courage into the spineless leg
islators. Things have reached stage
in this country when one or two re-
formers can appear before legisla-
tive body, wave list of half hum
dred reform associations of various
sorts in the lawmakers faces and de-
mand that they prohibit this. that and
the other thing under pain and penalty
of utter political oblivion IL they re-
fuse Instantly the spine of the legis-
lator collapses into jelly and he meek
~ folds his hands, assumes heller
than thou expression and accepts the
dictation of the reformer.
"9e supports the reformer and stills