The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-25
pAcE TRACK GAMBLING.

The New York Legislature, or rather,
a committee of that body, has been
holding hearings on a bill designed to
prohibit race track gambling in the
Empire state. Among those who ar
gued against the bill the other day
were August Belmont, James r. Keene
and other well-known breeders of
horses. These gentlemen are in the
so-called sport of kings" for love of
the sport and not because of any mon
ey they may incidentally make out CT
it, And they are not in need of money
from race track sources.
What d splendid example they would
have set, therefore, if they had said
to the legislative committee:
Gentlemen, We will give you all the
aid in our power towards the passage
of any measure calculated to prevent
gambling on horse races. We are
breeders of horses, not race track gam
blers 1t is our pleasure to see our
colors flash TO the front in thrilling
speed contests We do not have to bet
on races in order to enjoy them. And
this cannot be said of the average race
goer The average habitue of the race
track goes there to gamble. He bets
on every race. if he has the money.
Gambling on horse races is bad,
gentlemen of the committee. 1t causes
defaIcations and dishonesty and mis-
cry. 1t has driven hundreds of prom
Using young men into prison cells and
hundreds more into suicides graves.
No man has ever derived any lasting
profit from money won at a race track.
And sooner or later-the rule may be
said to have practically no exceptions
the persistent follower of the races
viii lose not only ali he has gained, but
all he had at the beginning. And then
he is more likely than not to steal
money with which to continue his gam
bling"
If ever men could afford to make a
talk like this to a legislative commit
tee these men are Belmont, Keene and
the friends who accompanied them.
But, to their everlasting discredit, they
did nothing of the kind. Said Mr.. Bel
mont: Racing is not conducted for
the sake of betting. but for the breed
of horses. One of the Incidents of rae
ing is betting. and l must say it is in
dispensable. but it is only an incident
Here is a confession that without the
gambling it would be impossible to inn
Of hnPcac hxyh 10
ing annual race meets. Don't you hon
estly think it would be better, if this
is true, TO let the breeding of race
horses become an extinct industry?
One of Mr.. Keene's objections was
that If there's was no betting at the
race tracks the outside poolrooms
would flourish. Mr. Keene should have
been less disingenuous. He should have
said frankly that he and his million
aire associates want the money the
bookmakers pay for the privilege of
accepting wagers at the tracks run by
Keene, Belmont ct al. That would have
been honest and it would have been
true. But if the Belmont theory is
correct, and we are inclined to believe
it is, the suppression of betting at the
tracks would result in the closing of
the tracks, and without the tracks
there would be no poolrooms.
The breeding of horses for racing
purposes is an important industry, but
it is not important enough TO justify
the continuance of gambling at race
tracks. II would be better for the coun-
try. granting that its continuance de-
ponds on the continuance of gambling.
for the industry to be entirely wiped
out.