Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-09
On First Real Test on
the Anti-Racing Bill.
New York Senate Defeats the
Agnex-A Bill by Tie Vote.
Second Bill Has Same fate...But
Battle Is Not Ended.

AlDd1ly, IN. l., April o-1uc NOtS Oh
Senator Owen Cassidy Of Schuyler
county. a Republican, today created
tie vote of Is to Is, and defeated, for
the time at least, the two Agnew-H Hart
bills embodying the recommendation
Of Gov. Hughes that the legal protec-
ton be abolished, which. since 1895. has
protected public gambling at race
tracks, while it is a felony elsewhere
in the state.
Later Lieut.. Gov. Chanler, in the
chair, cast his vote to break the tie up
on parliamentary motion, which, but
for him, would have resulted in killing
the bills for the balance Of the session,
and saved the killing for another vote
at the discretion of their introducer,
Senator Agnew, at any time when the
order Of business permits him to call
up the matter. The Importance of this
bit of subsidiary procedure may prove
to he very great and IL by any means
the friends of the bills can gain q vote
from the opposition and at the same
time hold the rs they had today, they
might yet pass the bills and send
them to the governor
Gov. Hughes made no secret of his
disappointment at the result of the
days battle. He would not intimate
what measures he would adopt in the
premises but that he regards the mat
ter as far from settled he made clear
by the following statement given out
from the executive chamber tonight:
ut is impossible to believe that the
people will permit the plain mandate
of the constitution to be ignored. The
contest has not ended. 1t has only be-
gun. It will continue until the will of
the people has been obeyed."
The vote came at the end of day
Of dramatic interest SO intense that
people who have been about the cap
itol for a generation say they remem-
Der nothing like it. Until the vote Of
Senator Wilcox, last on the list. was
cast against the bills, the result was
sition for three days has expressed
confidence that he would vote as he
actually did.
The most remarkable feature Of the
day involved the mysterious absence
of Senator Fanchor. 1t was known he
intended to support the bills, and his
vote was indispensable to their pas
sage. Messengers searched for him all
the morning without result, and the
charge was freely made by the sup
porters of the bills that his absence
was involuntary and would prove to be
the result of a conspiracy. When a re-
cess was taken at 2 o'clock he was still
missing.
He appeared at last about midway in
the recess with nothing to say for
publication, but a, story which, told
privately. was accepted by the sup
porters of the bill as confirming their
suspicious and in it's detail it con-
vulsed everybody who heard it. The
outcome in a word was to the effect
that he had outwitted those who would
have detained him, and as he put it,
there am in time to vote for the bills
as I have all along intended to do"
Senator Cassidy. whom the support
ers Of the bill hold responsible for
their defeat. had on two previous &C.
casiOns voted in their favor though
the friends of the measure admit that
he has never promised to support them
on final passage. IN
Until II o'clock Senator Grattan Of
Albany was declared to be in favor Of
the bills. At that time after a CONFER
ence with leaders of the Albany county
Republican organization, he went to
Agnew and announced that he would
vote against them.
Senator Knapp until late In the
morning also was regarded as practi-
cally certain to vote for the bills, but
about the same time he also announced
that he would vote against them.
All of the so members of the Senate
were present, the only vacant seat be-
ing that of Senator Francher of Mag
ara Falls. who died recently. It seems
to be generally agreed that he would
have supported the bills.
Twenty-three Republicans and two
Democrats voted for the bills, II DEM
ocrats and eight Republicans voted
against them. The two Democrats in
the affirmative were Fuller Of Kings
and Taylor of Orange. The eight Re-
publicans in the negative were: Burr
of Suffolk: Cassidy OF Schuyler; EN-
erson Of Warren: Gilchrist of Kings:
Grattan Aof Albany: Knapp of Clinton:
CONTINUED on Page Two.)