The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-01
VIOLATIONS
 AT TRACKS Gov. Hughes's Attention
 Called to It. GRAND JURY GETS BUSY Recommends That Special Police men at Tracks Be Replaced. The Grand Jury says It. Presentment is Based Upon Evidence Laid
 Before It Upea Personal Investigation.
GRAND JURY GETS BUS,

New York. July 3f.--Recommenda- ton that the attention of Governor Hughes be called to the conditions ex- isting at the recent meetings of the Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay race tracks and charges that there have been open, systematic ana nag rant violations of the new anti-gamb- ling law. are made in presentment handed down by the Kings County grand jury today.
 The grand jury also recommends that the attention of the Governor be called to the special laws under which the race tracks now operate and that the provisions of the law permitting the racing associations to employ special policemen should be repealed. It is asserted that the presentment that un- der the laws permitting the employ ment of special policemen 1t has been impossible for the authorities to close the grounds of the associations. which action would have been possible other wise, "because of the lawless charac- ter'' In which the racing grounds were conducted.
 The grand jury says that its pre- sentiment is based upon evidence laid before It and also upon personal inves~ tigatlon made by committees appointed by the grand jury This investigation disclosed. the presentments sets forth that the opportunities for gambling were among the attractions which the managers of the race course relied up- on to attract crowds to the tracks. and we learn that a very large per centage of the gate receipts that con- stitute the income of these racing as- sociations, are the results of the main- tenance of gambling on the race courses and of aftording to the public general iy the opportunity to come to the tracks and gamble on the races
 'It Is not hard. therefore. in the light of these circumstances. to dis cover the reason why the opponents of the race courses were inactive in their efforts to enforce the law and to pre- vent gambling upon the race courses.
 Tt was quite clear that in proportion as gambling was reduced on these race courses just in that proportion would the gate receipts and the profats of the racing associations be reduced"
 The prasentment declares that while for short period after the law went into effect, the police had been quite active in suppressing and preventing violations of the law. lat certain point their activity ceased, It says that the members of the grand jury have no hesitation in saying that the police department at that time was not doing all it could have done to prevent the commission of crime on the race courses. Later. however. when the grand jury called the attention of the Police Commissioner to the conditions and requested that more urgent means be adopted to have the law observed. there was change in the personnel of the force at the race tracks and from that moment the laws were well en- forced. N
 Bearing an official copy of the grand jury's presentnent, Acting District At torney Robert H. Elder left today for saranac Lake. where he will confer with Governor Hughes on the race track situation. The governor has made an appointment to meet Mir. Elder tomorrow at Saranac Inn. Mir. Elder will submit to the governor a huge bundle of affidavits and evidence that has come into his possession recent ly