Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-29
[By Associated Press.l

OACRAMENIO, Jan. 2S.-IhOmaS II.
Williams, president of the New Cali
fornia Jockey club, which operates the
race track at Emeryville, in addressing
the committee on public morals against
the Walker-OtiS anti-race track bill,
startled the assembled legislators and
the auditors who crowded the galleries
of the senate chamber tonight by de-
claring that in the past twenty-eight
years more crimes had been committed
in the United States and Canada by
ministers of the gospel than by any
other class.
AS he spoke he waved a paper bound
book
Il have the record here" he cried.
There are 1000 of them, and they have
committed crimes of every description,
including murder and train robbery"
Prior to making the foregoing decla-
ration, Williams anger had been
aroused by several questions put by
advocates of the bill in dispute, who
asked him what he had to say in re-
gard to the criminal influences of the
race track"
Among the questioners was Arthur
Let's, a Los Angeles millionaire mer-
chant and president of the Anti-Race
Track Gambling league of Southern
| California. 49,
would you be in this business if
II NCAC tIOI 1OL ltlC lJIOlllS III II. dShGO
Let's.
That's none of your business re-
piled Williams.
Senator Leavitt, a member of the
committee, interrupted the proceedings
at this point by a motion to adjourn,
but Chairman Weed gave Senator
Hartman the floor.
II am for racing" said Hartman. eff
this is to be my political death knel1,
toll your bells. l don't want to come
here any more.''
The speech of Williams occupied hall
an hour. In part he said: without
gambling racing will cease. 1t won't
work without the element of chance
any more than the real estate or any
other business. 1t is the love of gain
! that supports every business. If you
curb that you ruin the trade of the
world If you stop the trace track
you will have prohibition the next trip
and the Sunday rest law the next trip,
and so on, ad lib.
Are we going to say that England
Russia, Germany, France and other
great nations know nothing? They
have decided that racing was one OF
the greatest features Of their national
life-I mean the Improvement of the
breed of thoroughbreds.
Says Mexico Wants Tracks
"Take our little sister republic OF
MeXicO-it is ruled by one of the grand
est men in the world. President Diaz is
giving concessions for race tracks all
over his country (and 1 am interested
| in them), in the City of Mexico. in
Juarez and elsewhere. He wants tC
| improve the thoroughbred, and he
promises government aid to foster the
| industry.
! ''Close the. race tracks in California
and tomorrow you will increase the
number of pool rooms and handbooks
That has been the case in Chicago, New
York and many other cities where
gambling is prohibited. You can't con-
troll gambling in Canada and you can't
stop the telegraph wires
Senator Leavitt interrupted to ask
regarding the operation of the Hughes
law in New York. Williams handed
! Leavitt the affidavit of a citizen of
New York to the effect that there were
over 400 handbooks there, and many
more bucketshops than ever before
Barney Schneider, who called himself
the second largest broader of thor
oughbred horses in the world and who
has raced horses and made books on
race tracks all over the United States
for twenty years, also defended the
racing game as it is now conducted
He said there We're $500 persons en-
plOyed at Emeryville and Arcadia, and
asked:
IF you legislate us out Of business
what will become of these people?'
Louis r. Garrett and Arthur Let's
of Los Angeles and A. j. Treat of Sau-
salito, spoke in favor of the bill. They
argued that betting on horses races
was corrupting the public and respon-
sible for thousands of cases Of embez-
Element.