Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-08

or pinch of it, naturally wants to see rae
ing perpetuated. He was among the
somewhat motley crowd that went up to
Albany ON the special train with the idea
of rather overawing the legislators with
their Importance On that day MT.
Keene. abiding to the people who are
fighting the race tracks, said: You can
improve the breed Of race horses. but you
can't improve the breed of men,. He
said this in very angry and sullen tone.
Interpreted, it means that the people who
are fighting the race tracks are utterly
hopeless; that they've shown themselves
up as hopeless by their unprecedented
temerity. not to say gall. in daring to
tackle the racing institution; and that.
therefore, they've rendered themselves
less liable to improvement than those
amiable beasts. the running ponies. 1t
was curiously petulantly absurd re-
mark for a man of Keene's station In life
to make. 1t only had the effect. however,
of provoking the embracing crowd to adj
ditional wrath, and from many angles at
this writing it looks as if they are going
to make Mr.. Keene sorry for having said
1t.
DR.. Lyman Abbott. who isn't any crank
but a thoroughgoing man of the world,
even If he is a clergyman, recently made
remark of different purport respecting
the anti-racing agitation.
''If." he said, "to improve the breed OF
race horses you've got to ruin the breed
horses go unimproved."
X
There is, by the way, vast amount of
Uriah Heepism in this constant cry of the
supporters of the racing game about 1.-The
Improvement Of the breed of race horses"
If racing and betting on racing is to be
discontinued, as Gov. Hughes intends that
it shall be in the state of New York and
other governors have already dlscon-
tinued it in other states with the aid of
their legislatures, then there repains no
essential reason why the breed of race
horses should be 'improved.' The only
reason why race horses are improved"
is in order that they shall be raced, and
they can't be raced-everybody knows
this-unless there is betting on them;
raced probably, that is to say, for people
who visit race tracks don't visit 'em ex-
cept for the chance to gamble. Well, If
the betting is to be stopped, what's the
good of improving race horses of the thor
oughbred type?
Moreover the talk about the Improve
ment in the breed of race horses" only
causes even the most indurated racing
people to laugh in their sleeves. Does the
bookmaker who lays prices against 'em
care a continental whether the nags he
gets clean sheets on are of fashionable or
of cold thoroughbred breeding? Does the
poor devil of piker who sloughs off his
last 81 note in the cheap field on long
shot that hasn't the ghost of chance
does he care anything about the i'm
provement in the breed of horses?' Does
the elevator boy who fumbles the dope.
trying to figure out some to thing upon
which to put his dollar in the hand book,
care a boot whether the breed of race
horses is improved" or not?
The writer hereof, who was the first
commentator upon turf affairs in all the
United States to announce, in The Star.
away last year. that Gov. Hughes was go
ing to begin a fight against racing in New
York, finds considerable satisfaction in
observing how solemnly the people who
hooted at that announcement at the time
are now taking the situation at Albany.
1t doesn't make a particle of difference to
this writer whether racing here is stopped
or not; but vindication is vindication
and so is Scoop and we're all only
hur y