The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-16
'H0RSENEN TAKE
UP CROKER IDEA
Interest in Proposed Local OPP
tiOn for Horse Races
Increases.
B00KMAKER'S VIGILANCE
SAVES P0OLROOMS $3.50, 900
Tappers Sending Out Sureon as
Winner of Juarez Race
Are Defeated.
BY JAMES DooKERALL.

BY Leased wire 10 The tribune.
NEW YORK. April l5.-Turfmen are
Richard Croker formerly Tammany's
leader. just as he sailed for his home in
Ireland He proposed that horse racing
be treated as the liquor problem is treat
ed and be subject to local option He
Gaid. IN part:
eff A law were passed making possible
local option on racing the sport would
soon be put on as high plane here as
1t is now in England. The associations
managing the tracks would be very care
full. for there would always be the chance
OF incurrlng public disfavor. and then the
public could close uD the race track If
II wanted to.
MANY of the abuses that sprang up
under the old system could be done away
with entirely. and even at that 1t should
be remembered that the game here has
improved vastly in late years.
II would very much like to see racing
restored in this state. because know
what fine. high class sport It can be
made II managed properly. and ! sin
cerely hope thai someone will take up
this idea and push II along"
Let People Decide.
Can't we haye local option for race
courses as we'll as for saloons and the
sale OF LIQUOR generally? There are a
great many persons interested In racing
besides those who want TO bet on the
horses. and particularly In this country.
where the people are supposed TO rule
themselves they ought to be allowed to
decide whether they want betting or not.
Take Saratoga for instance. There Is
a town where for years racing not only
was the chief sport but H. was the chief
means of livelihood OF many OF the in
habitants. l believe that II the question
were submitted to the people OF Saratoga
they would be Overwhelmingly in favor OF
the reopening OF the racecourse UP there.
II would doubtless be the same in other
localities and I think the people ought
to have n chance to say what they want
The Martin bill pending in the legisla- :
ture is intended to relieve race-track
owners from responsibility for betting on
the races on the tracks,
Roseben. long favorite racehorse. is
now the favorite mount of the daughter
OF former Congressman James w. Wads-
worth. David c. Johnson gave Roseben
TO Mr.. Wadsworth. knowing he would
take the best care of the racer. Roseben
was taken on the tracks in 1909. after
winning forty-four races and $4,000 in
Secretary Wilson has announced that
the twenty-second renewal of the s2l 900
Kentucky futurity which closed March
Is. received the entries of 1247 mares.
Saves Poolrooms S160,000.
It was only the vigilance of a local
hookmaker that saved the eastern pool
rooms from losing approximately sl60.000
recently on the wire tapping scheme that
sent out Sureon as the winner OF the
Investigation no bets were paid and
within short time Mike Molett the
actual winner. was sent over the wire and
the tappers were losers something like
$4,000. Sureon had been sent from the
track al % TO /. and on his past per-
formances the price was not considered
at all out of line. The play was such,
though. that suspicion was at once
aroused.
The first word that all was not right
when 'Sureon first was flashed came
from Cincinnati. One poolroom manager,
NOT being satisfied. called up a room In
Cincinnati for veriflcation Of the re-
suit. This verifcation was that Mike
Moett had won.
1t was this information that had much
20 do with the fixing of the locality OF
the wire tapping, and further investiga-
nearby. The tip that all was not right
with the race WAS flashed to all the
rooms taking n wire service, and those
by telephone not to pay of. 1t was In
this fashion that the coup Went all awry
and some sharpers are out comfortable