Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-22
GAMBLING AND SPORT

NVERY candidate for the legislature
III should be pledged to his attitude
- regarding legislation prohibiting
race track gambling in the state Of
California. Every candidate should
also be pledged to enforce the laws
against rebating, and to the enactment
of whatever additional legislation may
be necessary to punish and prohibit this
practice. Both these matters are inti-
mately connected with the welfare of
California, and uninterrupted prosperity
and material and moral growth will not
be assured until the state adopts the
safeguards which will be provided by
proper and needed legislation on these
questions The statement that the pro-
hibition of race track gambling will
also end racing is an absurdity. The
English speaking races practiced horse
racing for scores Of years before gamb-
ling in its modern sense was ever
dreamed of. Bookmaking is compare
lively modern game, which civilization
owes to the nimble wits of the would
be get-rich-quick parasites of the Eng
Iish turf. If anyone should doubt this
statement, which is founded on his
torical fact, we invite his attention to
what is going on in the world of sports
today. If he opens his eyes and looks
about him, intelligently, he will see
that the gambling evil is tainting many
varieties of sport and pastime, in con-
nection with which, only few years
ago, gambling was unheard Of The
very mention of the word gambling in
connection with such innocent amuse-
ments would have been considered pre-
posterous. But look at the state of af-
fairs today, and bear in mind 1t is all
directly traceable to the encouragement
of race track gambling. Books are
made on collegiate and intercollegiate,
school and interseholastic athletic meet
ings, boat races, football matches, etc.
Here in Los Angeles, man, if so dis
posed, may place bets on the English
varsity boat race. Cambridge versus
oxford, in which the average citizen of
California has no more real interest
than he has in binomialism. Books
were made on the international games
in London; on the interuniversity con-
tests in the east on the transpaeific
yacht race, ana BETS ARE BEING
LAID AND BOOKS MADE ON THE
ELECTION OF A CHIEF ExECU-
TIVE OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA! Now, does any citizen
honestly imagine that any one of the
greater affairs mentioned would be af-
fected or impaired If the betting ele-
ment were removed from all association
with it? Why, you laugh at the very
suggestion. Absurd, isn't II, that any
one should say the public would lose
interest in the boat races, in athletic
sports, or in the presidential election,
If there were no betting in connection
with theml Equally absurd is it to say
that horse racing could not exist with
out betting. The sport of European
kings and American citizen-kings is as
old as any kingdom, and far older than
our republic. 1t fiourished before bet
ting on the horses was dreamed of; be-
fore the art of bookmaking was in
vented, and it would flourish and in
deed gain greatly in popularity and
prestige If gambling were abolished
and if In the bright lexicon of the
United States there were no such ugly
word as "bookie."