Imperial Valley press., 1912-10-10
RACETR GAMBLING
IBy Franklin HitchbOrnI

IBy Franklin HitchbornI
Col John c. kirkpatrick, manager
of the Palace Hotel at san Francisco,
has filed with the secretary of state an
argument in favor of the passage of
the gamblers initiated bill to legaliz.
racetrack gambling. Colonel Kirkpat-
rick's reasons for the passage of the
bill are:
/. That betting in pool rooms is still
going on.
,. That racetrack gambling in some
form must be continued that fit horses
may be bred for the United States
army service.
s. That the people who will come to
the state after the opening of the Pan
anna canal are accustomed to race
track gambling by the Paris mutualS
system. and 1T is" to quote Mr.. Kirk
patrick, the natural desire to make
of California as attractive a place
within which to live as any of the
communities which the newcomers
have left behind"
T. That between ninety and one
hundred thousand persons have signed
the petition to have the gembling bill
so on the ballot.
Colonel Kirkpatrick Is a law abiding
gentleman. As such. il he knows of
any pool selling in California he knows
that the law is being violated.
There is, then, but one course open
to the colonel. AS a law abiding citi-
zen it is his duty TO bring the pool
sellers to account. BY calling a police
man he can very soon wipe out his
first reason for favorable action on the
gamblers proposed law.
Il have been told" says Colonel
kirkpatrick in his argument, that
Lord Kitchener, or some other emf
nent foreign officer, remarked after
witnessing a cavalry maneuver in this
country, that we had everything from
a Shetland pony to a Clydesdale en-
gagged"
The colonePs argument is that with
out racetrack gambling the army must
put up with the Shetland ponyClydes-
dale mounts. But the colonel has evi-
IDENTIFY forgotten that racetrack gam
bling in California has been down and
out only a little more than a year.
If racetrack gambling is so excellent
a thing in producing desirable mounts
for the army, how comes il that when
ra cetrack gambling was in full swing
from New York to San Francisco, the
army went on the shetland pony
Clydesdale basis?
The writer knows that the element
which controlled racing California dur
ing the gambling DAYS had much to do
with discouTa ging some of California's 8
hest breeders. But that is another
story. In the past, gambling has not
improved the standard Of horses for
the army. There is no particular rea-
son for believing that gambling will do
in the future in this regard what II has
failed TO do in the past
The coloneI's third reason is that
unless We have racelrack gambling the
people who viii come to Cali
fcrnia when the Panama canal is
opened will not feel at home. What
sort Of people is the colonel looking
for? If California is to infested by
a visitation of touts, pickpockets,
thieves, strongarm men and the like
that used to invade the state when
the gambling began at Eme eryville,
better keep them out. With the end
ing of the gambling season at Emery
vile each year when the gambling
element left the. state, crime in San
Francisco and Oakland fell off from
% to so per cent.
There is no room in California for
an element that will not feel at home
without racetrack gambling.
Colonel kirkpatrick will be sur
rrised TO learn that the most success
full state fair in the history Of Califor-
MIA has just been concluded at Sacra-
mento. There was horse racing, and
good horse racing. which everybody
enjoyed. And il was all done withou
a gambling adjunct. nor were the un-
Gesira bles who follow the racetrack
gamblers in attendance. Says the Sac
ramento Bee Of this. feature of the
states most successful fair:
Especially notable was the fact that
respectable women by thousands were
seen at the fair grounds from day 10
day, a large proportion of them view
ing all the races and displaying a keen
interest in other features of the pro-
gram taking their lunches at the park,
pending money literally and mani
Testing much enthusiasm over the en-
tertainment provided for all visitors.
But no less remarkable was the ab
sence of pickpock kets; of the prosti-
tutFS- proc ui cSrca- pumps, anu othTI
male parasites; souts, tinhorn gam
5lcrs, blacklegs. bunco men, swindlers
and professional criminals and black
guards Of other descriptions-such as
formerly infested state and district
fairs when pool selling and other forms
% gambling on races were permitted"
All Of which is submitted for Colonel
Kirkpatrick's consideration.
Mr.. Kirkpatrick's fourth reason"
for the resumption Of racetrack gam
bling in California is that between
ninety and one hundred thousand per
sons signed the petition TO have the
gambling bill placed on the ballot. But
Colonel kirkpatrick will be surprised
TO learn that many were inveigled by
trickery and Misrepresentation into