The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-22
ANTI-RACING men
PROVE VICTORIOUS
Bill Taken From Committee on
Public Morals After a Long
and Bitter Fight
Friends of Proposed Legislation
Declare Senate Will Pass the
Measure Without Delay

CALL HEADQUARTERS CHAMBER
| OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-
| MENTO, Jan. 21.-A. motion to take
! the Walker racetrack bill away from
the committee on public morals
| brought the senatorial champions and
opponents of that measure into their
! first significant clash this morning.
! When the din of very lively debate
ended the motion was withdrawn on
the understanding that the bill will be
reported to the senate next Thursday
| morning after the public hearing on
| Wednesday night.
All signs pointed to victory for the
anti-racetrack men had they persisted
in their demand that the bill be taken
! from the committee, but they accom-
! plished their principal object, which
was to place the members of the COM
mittee on public morals on record as
the champions of pool selling and get
an agreement from them that the bill
would be reported out next Thursday
after a public hearing Wednesday.
The fight to take the bill away from
the committee was planned at meet
ing held before the senate convened
this morning and attended by 10 sena-
tors, who pledged themselves to sup
! port the measure. These were Senators
Black, Campbell Cartwright, Bates.
Bell, Birdsall, Hurd, Lewis, Holohan.
| Mccartney, Roseberry, Stetson, Stro-
bridge, Thompson and walker.
MANY VOTES PROMISED
In addition to these Is votes those of
Senators Miller, Caminetti, Estudillo,
| Wright Boynton, Gluten, Price, An
thony and Rush-nine in all--have been
promised to the bill. With the bill
passed in the assembly and with "a
votes in the senate at present promised
to the abolition of racetrack gambling
the foes of the poolroom insist that
their victory is only deferred until the
final vote is taken, as 1t only requires
81 votes to carry the measure.
Senator Walker of San Jose made the
motion to withdraw the bill which
bears his name from the committee on
public morals Campbell of San Luis
seconded, pointing to the coincidence
that three members Of the last commit
tee on public morals had been appointed
to serve again this session Anthony
of San Francisco also thought the Dill
should come out.
Weed of Siskiyou chairman Of the
committee, said that the committee
hadn't had time to consider the bill yet
and desired to hear both sides. Then
| Wolfe. another member of the COM
mittee. took hand.
'T appreciate Senator walkers cour-
tesy in saying that perhaps the COM
mittee feels certain delicacy about
reporting the bin out" he began, sar-
| castically II welcome him to the
ranks of the reformers: know he will
make good one; hope he will always
| be a reformer
Bell of Pasadena pointed out to
Wolfe that he had tried two years ago
| to get the committee together and had
| been told that even If he succeeded the
consideration of the racetrack bill
would be indefinitely postponed.
DRAGGED MATTER ALONG
Hurd of Los Angeles declared that
the committee was "willfully, inten-
| tionally or maliciously'' dragging the
| matter along, but he supposed they
against the bill. Price of Santa Rosa
| declared that he would vote for the
| bill and against the racetrack, but he
thought the committee should be given
| more time to report. Wright of San
| Diego took exactly the same view.
Walker offered to withdraw his mo-.
ton If the committee would promise
to report the bill out without amend
ments, whereupon Leavitt of Oakland, a
member of the committee, declared that
his conscience forbade his giving such
a pledge.
Savage of Los Angeles, another mem
Der of the committee, also took offense
at the suggestion, declaring his belief
that he had conscience and referring
to his 20 years.
Willis let loose an oratorical flight
and was followed by Gus Hartman. who
pleaded for consideration for Wolfe and
Leavitt, the deans of the sea, and con-
fessed. amid laughter and handicap
ping, to being somewhat of moraIist'
and declared for the poolrooms.
Finally Walker pointed out that he
had never before been able to have
Chairman Weed fix a meeting time
for the committee, and as that had
nj he
draw his motion.
i The assembly lost no time in passing
the Walker-Otis racetrack bill this
morning, the vote being 81 to TO- When
the measure was reached on the spe-
cial order file r. L. Beardslee moved
the previous question with view 10
preventing further debate on the
question. Percy Johnson, the John
ston, James Fee1ey and John McManus
joined with him in the motion, which
prevailed ina viva voce vote. The roll
call by which the bill passed the as
sembly follows:
e For g the Otis Barndollar, Boards
lee Beatty, Bohnett, Butler, Callan. cat
tell Cogswell, Collier, Costar. CronIn
Dean, Drew. Feeley, F'lavelle. Fleisher'
ftiHI; Ge 41d Gibbons, ellis, Greer,
GrlHthS, Harmon. Hanlon, Hans Hawk
hayes, Hewitt, Hinkle, Holmqufst. Ir,
win; Johnson of Sacramento. johnson
OF. San Dlego. johnson of Placer, John
ston or contra Costa, Juilliard Kehoe
Leeds, Lightner, Maher, Mcclellan. Mel Mel,
1 doom, Otis, Perine, Polsley. Presfon'
Pulcifer. Rech; Rutherford, Sackett, Sill,
Yer, Stuckenbruck, Teller, Transue.
wagner, Weber, Wheelan Whitnev
Wilson, Wyllie, Young, Stanton: s7
Against the bill-Behan, Black, Cogh-
Ian, Colium. Cullen, Hopkins, Macau-
ley; McManus, O'Neil Pugh; 10.
Dodged-Baxter, Schmitt.
After the vote had been announced
Grove Johnson gave notice that on the
next legislative day he would move To
reconsider the vote, giving as his rea-
son the fact that debate had been cut
; OF by rushing the previous question.