Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-06-09
OPPOSING
 HUGHES
Fight on Against His Anti=
 betting Bills.
BLOCKED IN LEGISLATURE

Measures Cannot Be Advanced Unless
 Suspension of Rules Is Ordered In
 Senate and Assembly - Governor
 Again Sends Message Calling Atten-
 ton to His Views on Race Track
 Gambling - Success of Rentroduced
 Measures Depends, It Is Declared, on
 Return of FoeIker to His Seat In Up-
 per House.
 . Albany, N. T., June 9. - Governor Hughes for the third time appealed to the legislature by special message to pass the Agnew-Hart antirace track gambling bills.
 Opponents of the measures in both houses succeeded in blocking their ad- vancement after they had been rein troduced. Unless a suspension of the rules is ordered ill the senate and as- sembly-and this requires twenty-six votes in the upper and seventy-six in the lower house-tha bills cannot even be sent to second reading before Thursday, which has been fixed for final adjournment, or a recess until after the national convention.
 Elated by the continued indisposi- tion of Senator Foelker and the ab- sence of Senator Smith of Columbia, the supporters of betting prophesied the departure of all the legislators be- fore the acts can be approved or, should Foelker reappear on Thursday, their defeat in the, senate
 Another Vote Against Bills?
 The anti-Hughes leaders asserted with great positiveness that should Foelker appear here and vote for the Agnew-Hart bills they have the un- equivocal promise that his act will be nullified by a Greater New York Re publican senator.
 The governor, however, claims to have received advices from the invalid senator that he will be at his post on Thursday in time to vote. Informa- ton from Staatsburg is that Senator Foelker is still unable to leave the sickroom.
 "The issue has been clearly present ed," says Governor Hughes to the legislature, whether the interests of those who wish to maintain gambling privileges at race tracks shall be con sidered paramount to the constitution of the state. It is an issue which has been clearly defined and is fully appre- ciated by the people It cannot be obscured by a discussion of the propen- sities of human nature. Race track gambling exists not because it is hid den or elusive. but as an organized business shielded by legislative dis elimination. The law which professes to prohibit it in fact protects it."
 Tie Vote Not Decisive.
 The governor declares that the fail ure of the Agnew-Hart bills by a tie vote in the senate at the regular ses- sion could not be regarded as decisive. but served only ito illumine the issue and to make still more clear the na- ture of the test / involves. Nor can the question be finally disposed of save by vindicating the honor of the state and by demonstrating that there is no power, however strong or un- scrupulous, which can be permitted to override the will of the people as ex- pressed in the fundamental law.
 Racing and lawful sport should be able to flourish without gambling. and there seems to be no reason why book making should be regarded as essen- tial to the breeding of horses. But this is beside the mark. The question is neither as to sport nor as to horse breeding, but as to the enforcement of the constitutional provision in it's ap-