The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-24
REV. Mr.. E[DERK|N
ON HORSE RACING
Congregational Minister in 0g-
den Discusses Recent
Meet There.
BELIEVES THAT GAMBLING
MEANS RUIN OF GAME
He Asks the Question: lis
Ogden Carrying Too Much
Weight?"
Special to The Tribune.

Special to The Tribune.
OGDEN, May 23.-Rev. Noble Strong
Elderkin, pastor of the Congregational
church, is not opposed 10 horse racing
As n pastimc, but the bookies, touts and
gamblers which follow racing meets as
n livelihood were the especial subjects
for his condemnation at the regular
services this evening, Rev. Elderkin
spoke from the subject, Locking the
Stables in Proverbial Fashion" He
said in part;
'.The proverb points out The folly
of locking the stable after the horse
has departed I wish TO suggest the
wisdom Of such procedure under Ger
tain conditions The horses have de
serted the fair grounds. That is TO be
regretted. Perhaps, however, our re-
greet should not express itself 100 Vlo-
1eptly, for with the horses have gone
a host of undesirable effects. when
the promoters Of the spring meet first
blew in we couldn't understand why
California should discard so amlablc
group of good fellows. Now we un-
derstand But we didn't then, so we
assured them a hearty welcome. In
good time they came with fine string
OF horses. Soon we realized that the
horses formed minor attraction. The
ring established under tho grand
stand was the central figure. Around
that everything revolved We might
rejoice in the brief period of our m
Fiction were it not for tho fact that
they promise TO Inhict lis again in
September and for twenty days. Then
after that regularly until we grow as
disgusted as California.
Effects of Meet
"I have waited 10 hear the mer-
chants say that the town has been ben
Gifted IN some particular. But their
expressed opinion runs along one mo-
notonous groove. They seem unable to
saw anything except that the influence
which dffused itself from the fair
grounds was demoralizing. They fear
that many point of view has been
changed; that many are beginning to
that the city shows n superior wisdom
in graciously ~protecting gambling
houses.
SIN enlightened communities the
racing game is losing prestige every
day. 1t must make new converts some
where. Every one made in Utah helps
to support the big trust and adds one
more to the list of those who protest
against the ugly attitude OF California |
and New York. We have no laws |
against bootmaking. There is no relief |
in that quarter. We want a healthy |
public opinion. We want a frank dis !
cussion of the good which has accrued |
TO us from this new venture Of ours.
Handicaps Discussed.
elias the town been helped CONNER
rially and industrially? Perhaps we
ought not TO tackle the moral phase OF
the problem. and yet ! venture TO ask
one question: When Booger Red was
weighted down with l2l pounds, what |
He lost. The wise ones
said he lost because he was carrying
too much weight. Ny question is here
How much weight do you suppose Og-
den can carry and still run deccntly?
Aren't we carrying the limit now!
Weight is handicap. Everything that
wcakens the city's moral fabric handi
caps us. Let the horses come back. But !
give the touis and cappers and tin
horns TO understand that our police arc
at present protecting as much gambling
rs they can comfortably handlc.'