The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-15
WANTS TO STOP PLAYING PONIES Reformed Turfman Makes Plea. TALKS TO SENATE COMMITTEE Shows Poor Chances of Returns for Investments.
 Addresses seIons In Support of Burkett Bin ts Prohibit Transmissisa q Track Bettinx odd. on
 Races over Telegraph Wires.
TALKS TO SENATE COMMITTEE
Shows Poor Chances of Returns for
 investments.

porting cast of reformers galore, both male and female. Henry Brolaski, of Monrovia. Cal. who professed to be Q gambler upon race tracks. was the star feature of 6 hearing today before the Senate Judiciary Committee in sup- port of the Burlxet bill to prohibit the transmission of race track betting odds over telegraph or telephone lines.
 MT. Brolaski 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 Next can track which was put out of bust ness st the instance of the Depart nlent of State through cooperation with the Mexican Government. He Is now seeking to have tracks. in which he has no interest. dealt with in like manner.
 Brolasii said he had worked in his line in St. Louis. Chicago, Worth, Roby, Atlanta, Charleston, S. C., New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Latonia, Loutsvilie and Bennings tpeciss and had had twenty-one years experience. He roughly estimated that there were now In the United States between sixty and seventy pool rooms. He calcuiat- ed that there was in operation neariy 1.bo0 hand books. He said that in New York City there were at least 100000 hand books and pool room places and that the evil was growing daily.
 Condcmss Ticker Service. BroIaski condemned tho ticker ser- vice of the Western Union Telegraph Company. or sub leased lines as great evil that should be- stopped.
 Pointing out the poor chance given the bettor for return of any part of his wager. the witness said that In a pool room the percentage against :he player would run from 25 to l6o per cent. and in hand book the per cent age was from to 15 per cent Common sense will tell you that from per cent. up will eat up any mans capital If taken out. six times a dAv.r he declared.
 There ie only one meafis.g said Mfr. fsrclAsisi. s'of putting this evil out of l business effectuzIlsz. ana that is by tho United states Government enacting Il law prohibiting the transfnission of pool room and race track information over telegraph or telephone wires and pro- hibiting the use of the maiis te news papers that publish race track prices or results"
 He spoke sof the so-called gamblers war. now in progress In Chicago, caus- ed by pool room books and hand book factions. There had probably been twenty-five dynamite bombs thrown at gambling houses in the light /betwee:i these two factions, he said The Rev. O. R. Miller. of New York, secretary of the Reform Bureau. said that race tracks had been put out of business in New York under the "spien- did leadership of Governor Hughes but that all of his efforts and those of the Reform League would come to naught unless the transmission of in- tal1 fn n nd ho books was stopped.
 Question of Consfitutionality.
 Senator Clark. chairman of the Ju- dietary Committee. asked that argu- ments be submitted on the subject of the constitutionalty of the Legislation advocated. He said there would be no question of the right of Congress 10 stop the transmission of racing news through the mails. but there might be @ question concerning regulation of tel- egraph and telephone lines to that ex- tent.
 A number of women from New York. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the city of Washington spoke briefly.
 After the hearing had concluded, Senator Nelson said:
 T am still in the dark about some of these matters. thought a pool room was a place where you played a game ot plllAdEuSs NOW Waul tO know Just what the operation is in lay ing bet, as you call It."
 He addressed this question to Mir. Brolaski, saying:
 You are the book maker and am the player. What do 1 dor"
 Everybody laughed but Mir. BPolaski Instanced a possible play. taking race in which there was eight horses
 Gives Senator an Incident.
 "No wsuppose you want to get on King Barley Corn. priced at to l. You give me $5 and I give you ticket which reads 15 to 5. If the horse wins you get $1O and your S5 in additl 1n, making $15 in all."
 But what if King Barley Corn does not wln?" asked the Senator. ''then what do get?'
 You get replied Brolaski, "the ticket as a souvenir"
 "The play that is handled by the hand books and pool rooms said Mr. Brolaslxi, '1s usually from a class of people that can iii afford to lose and their bets average from 50 cents up, The man of family will take chanc. and lose his rent money; the clerk will take chance and lose his board money; the girl will take a chance and use herself. It Is the greed for more money and the gambling fever that becomes inoculated into their systems and it is growing all the time"
 He said he could describe some cases where he had personal acQuaintances where men had become abscondsrs.