New-York tribune., 1908-02-11
NOT BLACK AS PAINTED
Rector of Church Writes to Cor
crnor on Racing Question.

The Rev. d. j. Mccarthy. rector of St Mark s
Church at Sheepshead Bay, sent a letter to Gov
ernor Hughes last week on the racing question, ITO
certain false Impressions as he says and TO
give his assurance that racing folk. from stable
boy TO owner ARE what they painted by
of their maligners.'
DR.. Mccarthy has among his parishioners good
many persons who identified with racing, and
his church is about equidistant between the
Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach racetracks Re
knows something about the moral calibre OF the
people in his community. His letter follows:
hope YOU will pardon the liberty take in writ
ing you the racing question. write, not in de
morality. hut simply to remove certain false i'm
pressions that may have been made by some who
are not qualified TO speak honestly and truthfuly
about the matter 1 feel that there is no clergyman
in the East better qualified. by reason of location,
speak than l. for the the ground is.
other things being equal the best judge in the
have been rector O. St. Marks Church. Sleeps
head Bay. for the last four years Sheepshead Bay,
as you may know. is the racing centre of the East
Coney Island Jockey Club track. and, though
been within easy call in case my services as a
priest were required. / have almost daily
racing business in every capacity from stable boy
1 familiar with their habits and
through my official capacity. well they know
themselves. l am proud and happy to be able to
say that they not what they painted by
of their malignerS. hut are. the other
hand horest, CONSCIENTIOUS ana honorable j know
hundreds OF our racing men who assist faithfully
at divine service every Sunday and really a
credit to their church
There are, il is true. many undesirable charac
ters among the racing class but it is equally true
that there many characters of the kind
in every walk of life There are. too. abuses in
the racing business; but there abuses in
every business in government and in
churches? Our aim should be to eliminate entirely
these abuses. if possible and. if not possible.
minimize them hest and much
know. through Frank Clarke. superintendent of
the Coney Island Jockey Club. and George 3
DoUgherty. Of the Pinkerton Detective Agency
both reliable men, their records will prove. that
the Jockey Club is doing all in its power TO
rect these abuses
You might ask what is the attitude of the natives
Of SheepSfead Bay toward racing. There is only
one answer. BY far the majority in favor
there industries manufactures of any
other the racetrack. while hundreds of others
derive their maintenance from the feeding and
lodging of tho racing element. Close the racetrack
they say. ana will be forced close our houses
and property viii Gepreciate in value.
You may ask me priest what think of the
effect of racing and the racing element on the
morals of the place. l Will answer by simply
ing what ] have often said TO others-that i'm my
charge of four years have not seen here five per
drunken condition. and that in the whole
place there cannot be found house i'll rcpute
These two statements may seem strange, but they
are nevertheless true. may be verified by con
sutinC the records of the local police authorities
Personally I feel proud of these facts. and
maintain That the same be truthfully said of
very few towns in our state.