The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-12-15

supporting cast of reformers galore,
both men and women, Henry Brolaski
of Monrovia, Cal, who profeSSed TO
be a reformed race track gambler, was
the star feature of a hearing today
before the senate judiciary committee
in support of the Burkett bill to pro-
hibit the transmission of race track
betting odds over telegraph or tele-
phons lines.
He told how the public is mulched
by bookmakers at race tracks, by
pool rooms and by handbookmakers.
Mr.. Brolaski. in most candid and
picturesque fashion, gave details OF
the gamblers life and showed the poor
chance of returns for money invested
which is given to the gambling public.
He was one of the owners of Mex
lean track that was regarded as the
basis of gambling operations in the
United States and was put out of bus
mess at the instance of the depart
ment of state through cooperation
with the Mexican government.
Brolaski is now seeking to have
tracks in which he has no interest
dealt with in like manner.
Introducing himself as having been
a gambler, poolroom proprietor, book
maker upon race tracks and hand
bookmaker, Brolaski said he had
worked in his line in st. Louis, Chi
cago, Worth. Robey, Atlanta, Charles
ton, S. c., New Orleans, San Francisco,
Oakland, Los Angeles, Latonia, Louis
vile and Bennings tracks and had had
a. II ,Iv- ncs
timated that there are now in the
United States between 60 and 20 pool
rooms and that so of these are in New
York City. He calculated that in the
United States were nearly 1900 hand
books which, he declared, are the in
centive that make the unsOphisticated
gamble on the horses.
He gave at length details of meth
DDS employed by race track bookmak-
ers. poolroom operators and hand
bookmakers. He said that in New
York City there were at least 100000
hand book and poolroom players, and
the evil was growing daily.
''The play that is handled by the
hand books and poolrooms,' said Bro
laski," is usually from a class of
their bets average from SO cents up.
The man of family will take chance
and lost his rent money; the clerk will
take chance and lose his board mon
ey; the girl will take a chance and use
money that she should expend on
herself 1t is the greed for more mon
ey and the gambling fever that be-
comes inoculated into their systems.
and it is growing all the time
Brolaski condemned the ticker SER
vice of the Western Union Telegraph
or subleased lines as a great
evil that should be stopped.
'It is the service giving the results
and the prices as they finish" he said.
Pointing out the poor chance given
the bettor for a return Of any part of
his wager, the witness said that in a
poolroOm the percentage against the
player would run from % to $50 per-
cent, while in handbook the percent
age was from five to Is per cent. a
player had that much the worst of it
to start with, Brolaski said, and there
was no possible chance to beat the
game
Common sense will tell you that
from five percent up will eat up any
mans capital if taken out six times
a day." he declared There is only
one means Of putting this evil out of
business effectually, and that is by the
United States government enacting
law prohibiting the transmission of
poolroom and race track information
over telegraph or telephone wires,
either openly or in cipher, and by hav-
ing those laws enforced after they are
passed; also prohibiting the use of the
mails to newspapers that publish race
track prices or results
He said he could describe to the
committee cases with which he had
personal acquaintance where men had
become absconders. drunkards and
thieves on account of the poOlroom and