New-York tribune., 1908-02-08
LETTERS TOTHE EDITOR
RACETRACK GAMBLING.
AppeaI to Churches and Clubs to
hid GOUern0r.

! To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: Governor Hughes and the friends by whom
he has been advised are unquestonaby in the right
The assertion that the abolition of gambling ane
poolselling will involve the abolition of horseracint
and incidentally injure the breed Of horses Is I'm
! pudent and unsupported nonsense, or something
worse. With first hand knowledge OF ths
subject and old crusader in the campaign
against the audacous lawlessness Of bookmaking.
confidently assert that many of the men who have
succeeded in making possible such horses as Dan
Patch and FLYING Fox not gamblers
Some Of them-I know whereof 1 speak-neveT
bet at all And even II the allegation were true
submit that the abolition of poolselling and gam
bling would have improving effect on the breed
of men. and that good men are vastly more impor-
tant to the country than two-mnute horses. To
discuss the truth of this proposition would be very
much like expatiating the truth of the multi
plication table. and to inquire into the ethics OF
gambling and poolselling is every whit unneces-
sary as to inquire into the ethics OF murder or
adultery.
What is wanted Is accordant action. and
particularly such action Governor Hughes sug-
gests. namely, such expression of public opinion
as is likely to strengthen the weak hands and con-
firm the feeble knees Of our legislators
In these circumstances may I crave the hospi-
tality of The Tribune to remind the churches. what
soever name they bear. that this is not matter in
which they afford lag behind the state,
Surely they will not pretend that resistance to the
rise OF the gambling spirit does not. fall within
their proper and legitimate scope Will they think
TO alay it by votes and solemn censures? No
They will accomplish nothing by that They must
fight against this growing cancer-fght, I mean in
some organized fashion, as men fight who in
dead earnest, or-there is no other alternative
prove themselves unfaithfui their Lord.
Nor does this DUTY rest them alone. With
more or less weight it rests all sorts and
ditions of men. be they Christians Jews Turks
infidels heretics. Perhaps, sir. you will allow
me TO single out from the whole community one
other class on which this duty lies with extraor
binary urgency In every city of the state there
are clubs-in New York they are to be counted by
the dozen-which claim to represent and repre-
sent no inconsiderable part of the intelligence and
patriotism of the commonwealth Is this mat
Ter IN which they have corporate duty? Will
the members of these clubs be content to listen
to the trumpet call of Governor Hughes
that of who hath a pleasant voice and
can play well upon an instrument? VIII they
be satisfied to adopt the attitude of the traitor
Roman and trust blndly TO the fortune of the
state? VIII they plead that their clubs not
called into existence for the purpose OF inprov
ing the morals of their neighbors. that gambling
existed before the flood and is probably ineradi-
cable, that loaded dice were found among the
ruins of Pompeii, that the profgate antics of
Wall Street work for greater misery than all TIE
pooseers~jn the United States. and that. any
how. they did not make the world and not
responsible for it?
Is it too much to hope that the churches and
the clubs which between them include an over
wheimfng majority of the men who. by virtue CT
their character influence and education. nat
ural leaders of the people. will do something
their corporate capacity to convince legislators
'hat somehow they must put end to poolselliHg?
Union Springs, n. Y, Feb. ). 1893. W. Fl. c.