Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-06-03

phHtically as can be said iii the Eng
lisll language that am decidedly
against another such race meeting as
ogden has just had. 1t has depressed
business: 1t has demoraliZed our citi-
zens5 and clerks; ii has Inundated the
city. IT was shameful, and doubt il
the citizens of Ogden will ever allow ii
to be repeated.
James H Douglas, manage Bowie
Furniture companS--Put me down as
thoroughly Disguised with that race
meeting and as one who hopes that
this city will never a gain be dlsgraced.
by similar event. 1t certainly in-
jured the trade of every merchant in
this city, and it had most dcmoraliz-
ling effect on our men and women. !.
Hiram Pingree. manager Ogden Fur
niture Il Carpet comrany--I never
had but one experience With race.
meeting, and that WAS in this city this
\ spring. | know more about 1t nov
than before, and / never want another
experience of that kind. Ogden has
proved that Utahs cities cannot afford
SO harbor an evil that other cities
have prohibited.
K h els j . .- l= 4 3 Il =
o. NJ Runyon,, cashier Commercial.
Sbanli---I may be wrong but / can't see
( what all this holIer is about. The
+ races We're all right; in my estima-
+ ton. The merchants are a lot of
sleepy heads, and IL we had a couple.
of meetings q year such as we Just
( had It might wake them UP a little.
ELks DECLINE.
st,it-.
lodge, The proposition to devote next
Some of the members evidently took
the view that 10 be a party to the
game would be beneath the dignity of
the order and the plans which were am
nounced have been abandoned
WHAT o OFFICIALS SAY.
This morning d number OF officials
of the Utah Jockey club We're inter-
viewed ON the subject, and all deprs-
Gated the criticism TO which the or
ganization has been subjected. 1t
Was with il lesireto be fair and give
their side of the case that the officials
We're fnterNiewed.
Treasurer Gleason said:
I'm the first place, vie arc conducts
ing d race meeting. and it is generally
known that you cannot have a success
ful meeting without books. We are
doing everything in our power to give
high class racing and are taking every
#precaution to guard against fraud of
any kind. 1t is true the books are
there, If people wish to bet they ma.
do so, if they don't they don't have to-
q IN then place, | will say that at
least $4,000 is spent in Salt Lake every
day and that money put into circulation
as "a resultsof this meeting. We spent
thousands OF dollars on improvements
at the track which we leased from the
Fair association, and all the improve
lnents5 go to the association besides the
big amount We pay for the lease.
Our track officials are recognized
everywhere for their honesty and intes-
4rity The racing has been clean and
honest. or course there is always an
.elemen who wishes to wager on the re- IS
suit of this or that event There are
women who like to bet.
zS".Asa to the grandstand betting. !
wish to say that the man who has
charge of that has always proved hinl-
self straightforward and square. he
has agents who go through the stand
and show the odds on the horses. What
would be the result If this We're not
done? Simply that. in spite of all we
could do, there would be tout n on y
GRAFTON who would take a Won1anSs
money and perhaps never come back
The prizes are posted on a big black
board III plain Niswaof all and there is
M chance llowfsof any one being dee
ceiped. When the odds fluctuate the
prices are noted on the boards.
II will venture to say that when the
meeting closes none Of these peonle
will leave Salt Lake City withathc
amount of money some*unthinking peo-
pie imagine they Will carry away. Their
expenses are paid here and as a result,
the merchant. the banker, the butcher
and the baker. tie hotels, streetcar
railroads and other concerns
reap benefit In addition to this, hun
.dreds of wealthy men have come here
and the city and state is being adrer-
tised u have never seen a raceameet-5
ing conducted along cleaner lines and
L cannot understand why. We should be
unjNstIy criticised"
RACES ON THE SQUARE
President James G. Mcdonald of the
Utah state Fair association which mas
leased the track to the horsemen for
the racing season, when seen this
said:
II want to say that the racing now
being carried on at the fair grounds is
a absolutely on the square-just as square
as our own race meets every fall.
have Il contract with these people when
me to close up the racing the
| find any crooked work and
the moment doubtful methods are in
evidence the track will be closed up
All of the OFFICIALS We're agreed that
racing without betting was impossible,
and that steps had been taken TO see
that the betting was within the law.
No minors are allowed within the bet-
ting; ring and touts We're escorted off
the grounds. With this object in view
the association had hired Pinkertnn
men and had Il force OF detectives. de-
puties and police at the track every
day The, management further offered
anyone on the outside $500 who could
prove that anybody could interview i
Jockey after IL o'clock on the morning
OF race until after the races We're
over.