Omaha daily bee., 1908-03-18
MOVE TO BREAK UP BETTING
Police at Washington Will Ignore De-
cision of District Court.
LIFE OF RACING IN BALANCE
People of Washington want n Public
UtiIities Commission to Take
Charge of Affairs in Dis
trict of Columbia.
(From a staff Correspondent.)


WASHINGTON, March 17.-(Special.)-
The spring meeting Of the Washington
Jockey club opens at Bennings race track
on Monday, March g. This marks the
opening of tho season of running meetings
in the United States for the year of 1903.
| The outcome of the races here Is being
anxousy awaited i'm every stable and on
every breeding farm, not only in the
| United States but throughout the world.
The reason for this unusual interest in the
Washington meeting Is found in the fact
| that the city authorities are determined
to break up betting. For three years past
| book-makers have not been required to
move about among the patrons OF the sport
and to book their wagers while on the move
Last fall the chief of police of Washington,
acting under instruction from the munici-
pal authorities, arrested one Of these
| perambulating bookmakers under the
charge of setting up a gaming table. The
case was fought by the city authorities
on the one hand and the Bookmakers as
sociation on the other through the various
courts until it reached the court of APP
peals, which tribunal a few days ago
handed down a decision in which the
ground was taken that inasmuch as the
offender was not charged with making a
|
parapheniia. but that on the contrary it
was shown that he simply accepted wagers
from such betters as accosted him in his
walks about the grounds that he did not
/ therefore violate the law and should not
be punished.
In spite of this decision the chief of
police announces that he will instruct his
men TO arrest every bookmaker who may
! be seen accepting wagers from patrons of
! the track 1t is expected, however, that
the turfmen will endeavor to obtain an in
! junction restraining the police from inter
fering with them. II some such course is
not adopted the spring meeting of the
National Jockey club probably will mark
! the end of the racing business in the ma
tional capital.
In the meantime strenuous efforts are
being made in New York to secure the
adoption of legislation to prohibit betting
in any form upon the tracks and race
courses in the Empire state. This activity
on the part OF the anti-race people in New
York, combined with the efforts to break
up the sport in the District of Columbia,
| threatens n serious blow to the industry
of thoroughbred horse breeding for unless
wagers upon races are permitted races will
not be run. and without the excitement of
members of the equine family contending
sssa.nst each other ther viii be no deuand
for the horses themselves, for the simple
reason that the thoroughbred. bred for
speed and stamina, is of practically no
value for carriage purposes, not at all
| for commercial uses and the demand for
saddle horses has grown less year by year
in the same ratio that the automobile has
| increased in popular favor.
Public Utilities Commission.
Efforts are being made in congress to
establish in the District of Columbia a
public utilities commission, with powers
and duties similar to the two commissions
which control the affairs Of the public
service corporations in the state of New
York. Reports from all sections of the
Empire state indicate that the utilities
commissions are doing a power of good
for the patrons of the corporations which
control public franchises whereas in the
| District of Columbia, under the eve of the
| national government, there is absolutely
no control, except when congress sees fit
| to enact direct legislation. The street car
| service on some of the lines of this city
is equal to the best of any community in
! the world. On the other hand, the manage
ment 70 some of the other lines seem to
pay no regard whatever to the needs of
their patrons, and as those patrons are
absolutely mute, being deprived of fran
| chise in matters of municipal legislation,
their complaints receive scant considers
tion. The proposed commission will, II the
present plans are perfected, have complete
control of all matters pertaining to the
conduct of the street railway systems,
the gas and electric lighting plants and the
score of other public utilities essential to
city life. 1t is the intention of the trainers
of the measure to relieve the district COM
missioners of all jurisdiction over such
franchises and to make the board of public
utilities supreme from whose decision no
appeal shall lie. Unlike most proposed
legislation affecting the interests of the
people of Washington this measure seems
to meet with very cordial approval not
only from the people, but from the au-
thorities also nor does there seem to be
a very strong disposition toward opposi-
tion on the part of the corporations di-
rectly affected.
AmusIng story of Two books.
An amusing story comes from New York
in connection with a recent publication of
two volumes by two very prominent men.
Something of a sensation was caused some
time ago by the issuance from the press
OF ID. Appleton & Co., of a volume by
Chancellor Day of the Syracuse university,
entitled, "A Raid Upon Prosperity" That
volume upholds some of the biggest cor
porations in their methods of business and
covertly and nonetheless forcibly attacks
the administration in dealing with corpora
tions and individuals. More recently Hon.
Leslie NJ. Shaw. former secretary Of the
treasury, issued through the same publish
ing house a volume entitled, Current Is
sues" He had a number Of copies of the
volume sent to his office, which as usual,
were wrapped in a folder on the front Of
which was printed the title OF the book
and the name OF the author. Mr.. Shaw
wrote his name on the fly leaf of a num-
ber of these which he sent out as presenta-
ton copies to the president, the different
members Of the cabinet and some other
friends. Then he ent for a fresh supply
and as he proceeded TO indite few pre-
sentation remarks upon the fly leaves of
the second batch his attention was at
| tracted to the back of the folder, upon
which he found in large type a glowing ad-
vertisement of Chancellor Days book He
] hastfiv ettunmoned the Dubiishers on the