New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-04
BOOkMAKERS DEFEATED
Amendments to Bill to Prevent
Oral Betting Lost.
MEASURES PASSAGE SURE
Senator Grady Attacks Canon
Chase, Who Drew the Section
Defining Bookmaking.
tBy Telegraph to The Tribune

ISy IeleEraD1 TO ne iIlbune-l
Albany. May 3.-Though a hard fight was
made for them. the racetrack lobby S
1 amendments to Senator Agnew's bill,
/ drawn to prevent oral bookmaking. so
u called. were lost to-day by vote of Il to
rs That vote presages the passage of the
bill by the Senate next week in a form
! satisfactory to the people who back TINS
bill and who supported the original Asnew-
Hart anti-gambing laws. With the princl-
pal bill undoubtedly will go three compan-
ion measures.
The four bills were down for discussion
in the Senate to-day as a special order of
! business First came Senator Asnew's bill
! aimed at the dope sheet" but so broad
in its phraseology that if it became law it
would be a crime to print the odds on a
college boat race q football game the
morning after it occurred. This bill Sena-
ator Agnew himself amended by making it
apply to printing or circulating informa~
ton about 'bookmakers' odds. This
change and other technical amendments
make it apply only to circulating informa
tion about professional bettors and betting
and will remove most of the opposition
to it,
All this was merely a curtain raiser for
the real performance-the fight on the bill
making oral bookmaking a misdemeanor.
/ The Jockey Club people, who fought the
original anti-gamblng bills so hard, had
/ been at work on amendments to this bill
/ All the morning Joseph s. Auerbach. An
drew H. Miller. Frank H. Hitchcock. z.
/ c. Cowdin, representing that body, and
others interested in maintaining the law in
! its present shape had been buttonholing
! Senators and endeavoring to work up
/ timent for these amendments.
! AS soon as the bill was reached on the
! calendar Senator Bracket, of Saratoga, Of
fered the amendments, which made changes
! in the form of the measure as reported
| from his own committee. Bracket ex-
| planned at length his belief that the phrase
! ology suggested in the amendments made
more certain the exclusion from the opera
! ton of the law the friendly bet
/ Brady on Booknakina.
This caused a general discussion of
bookmaking, oral and recorded in which
Senator Bayne aired some views which
didn't meet the approval of Senator Grady.
! He demanded Senator Bayne's authority.
Senator Bayne said he gained his informa-
ton from clerical expert Canon Chase,
who has taken an active part in the fight
behind Grady at that time.
! Senator Grady seemed Lightly irate over
! the clerical expert" He denounced him
/ in typical Grady phrase. To have achieved
his highest distinction from his association
with racetracks was not a high distinction
! for d gentleman of the cloth, he said. Then
! he said that it was impossible to make
book without records.
Let me give you some points from actual
| experience" went on Sen. G." He gave
/ an eloquent description OF the racetrack
! operation and the habits Of bookmakers.
Illustrating the rounding up process by
writing book on a five entry event for
the Senate.
There's no more bookmaking on any
track in New York state, lamented Sena-
tor Grady There are handbooks on the
street corners and in the saloons. but not
even attempts to make books at the tracks,
cle,tca experts to the contrary notwith-
standing" Senator Grady inveighed against
the people who attacked racetrack gam
bling and overlooked worse gambling in
bucket shops and transactions on margin
| in brokers ofhces.
Canon Chase Defended.
Senator Bracket took exception to Mr..
|
| Il think know who is meant" said he.
| II disc gree with any criticism of the cleri-
cgl expert The people of this state and
/ The members of this Senate are under a
| deep obligation 10 the earnest men who
have taken up the regulation of gross
/ evil and fought II to a standstin
Renlvine to criticisms of his amendments
| by Senators Agnew and Newcomb. he said
2. fair attempt had been made TO discover
apt" language
I'VE believe this will cut up what little
! remains of bookma king he said. Much
| ~ this evil comes from the supineness of
the racing associations in failing TO control
gambling In the past Now, when they
come whining that they're hurt we have to
say that it's their own fault
| The vote on his amendments showed most
Of the Democrats and the "old guard Re
| rublieane in favor 81 them. But twAn.y-six
| Senators were against them As soon as
they were voted down Senator Newcomb
| offered another amendment TO the original
| bill IT defined hookmaking as penalized in
the bill as follows;
| 'Bookmaking referred to in this section
| shall mean the laying publishing Of odds
1 TO all corners or to the public"
This was adopted, IS to 10. II was drawn
| by Canon Chase. These amendments ne
| ceseitated laying the bills over until next
week third bill was being discussed, and
| Senator Grady was in the flower of his op-
position to IT, when Senator Cobb presid-
| ing. shut him off summarily. and adjourn
ment for the day was taken