The Washington herald., 1913-02-16

ington, Timothy Shugrue. Only two
weeks ago. Norman Corbin, of this city,
eldest son of j. w. Corbin, met with
severe loss by fire, as seventeen horses
i belonging to him were destroyed
With characteristic pluck and energy,
the elder Corbin is tearing away the de-
bris of his destroyed barn and shops and
will construct even better buildings than
the last. The cause Of the fire Is un-
known.
The three-year-old pacing stake Is not
only on but drawing rapidly to q close,
as March 1 is the limit for the stake to
fill. The ultimate success Of the stake
is jeojardized somewhat, from the fact
that owners Of free-legged three-year-
olds already object to racing against
those of the same class that wear the
straps. The free-legged owners Of PAGERS
hold. first, that under the rules adopted
by both trotting associations two years
ago. hoppies on three-year-od PAGERS
are barred in 1913. Second. that II Is not
fair to compel a strapless PAGER to 60
against one who has his legs tied in order
to keep on his stride. The why's and
wherefores Of these objections have been
SO thoroughly thrashed out In these col
thrash them out again. In this particular
case. the important question arises as to
whether enough free-legged PAGERS can
be gathered within a prescribed section
to mako the stake worth going after
when training bills, feed bills, &C.. are
deducted. We admit the unfairness of
compelling -strapless PAGERS to go against
those who cannot race well without an
artificial appliance such as hoppies. But
ali
looker-on in Venice as 1t were, and We
relegate the whole subject back to the
men most interested. Let them get to-
gether soon and finally decide on some-
thing.
A very important subject. just at pres
ent is the payment of entry fees. If
fees are not paid as tho conditions pre-
scribe. there will be no stake to race for
few, very few, nominators We are
glad to say, are remiss in making their
first payments in the two and three-year-
old trottinS stakes. This condition of
things is not fair to the men who have
already met their engagements Tho
payment Of fees cannot be kept open in
definitely, and We are not so sure but
that those men who are back in their
payments will not have to be voted in
by those who have met all of the pre-
scribed conditions 1t should be borne
in mind that the more paid entries there
are in each stake the richer 1t is, and
therefore, the greater incentive to the
men engaged in the scheme to bring
their charges to the post in good fettle
The stakes will be enlarged by the
track association that bids highest for
the three events; for it is expected that
all three will be pulled or over one
track in the same week. Mayor Lee
Offut. of Rockville, a leadig horseman
of Montgomery County and a director Of
influence in the Montgomery County Fair
Association, said recently to the writer
that If the fair association gets the priv
ilege Of pulling OF the three events, he
will advocate taking out Of the weeks
card Of races three events usually award
ed to aged horses. We understand Will
lam Dorsey. another prominent director.
advocates similar policy.
Disaster does not seem to daunt Nor
man Corbin. The loss Of seventeen
horses in a single night would staReer
most men, but Norman never lost an
hour of sleep nor his cheerfulness of
disposition for a single minute Quite
recently he, purchased the interest of
Walter Coggswell in the Reliable Horse
and Mule Company, and is now engaged
more deeply in the horse line than any
other local horseman. In addition to the
horses he Is interested IN In town, Mr..
Corbin has an interest in some very
promising trotters and PAGERS in charge
of his brother, Alonzo Corbin. located at
Benning. Alcyne, 2:12 1-2, Mr.. Corbin's
big money winner of 1912. arrived in the
city Saturday from Hamilton. She was
not quartered at ]. W. Corbin's farm at
the time Of the fire, as was supposed
- ...-
The McHenry brothers, of Hagerstown
and Washington, who are partners in the
Reliable Horse and Mule Company, are
nine in number and when grouped to-
gether. present sight rarely witnessed
in these days. They belong to that
hardy. shrewd. sagacious, and energetic
Scotch-Irish race that has done SO much
to blaze the path Of American civflixa.
ton. and which has contributed SO much
to, American progress and American in
stitutions. OF Presidents, it has contrib
uted Andrew Jackson. James K Polk,
James Buchanon, Andrew johnson. and
William Mckinley. OF statesmen, a list
too long to be herein mentioned. At Ha-
gerstown the McHenrys have the biggest
stable of tretters and PAGERS owned in
that section-some twenty-three in num-
ber-and they were large buyers at the
recent February sale In New York. The
stable is in charge of Harry McHenry.
1t is pretty certain that the Detroit
end Of the Grand Circuit viii lead q re-
volt against the action or the Grand Cir
cult Stewards at their Pittsburg con-
ference in which they adopted a rule
to limit the earning capacity of stake
trotters and PAGERS. Fred s. Postal, Of
Detroit. one Of the stewards now de-
clares that he did not understand the
full significance of the rule when he
voted for II. With the Detroit association
in revolt against the rule, It II quite like.
ly other big track associations will fol-
low its example and that the rule win
be more honored in breach than in OBJ
servance. 1t has been said, and nothing
has proved truer, that when a law does
not meet with popular approval It cam
not be fully enforced. Public sentiment
is force so positive that IT cannot be
safely denied.
We have seen this illustrated where
rigid anti-liquor laws prevail. In some
sections OF some States public sentiment
sustains the law and sees that II ID en-
forced. In other sections OF the same
State the law is not fully enforced, be-
cause public sentiment does not fully ap-
prove OF it. Pool selling and gambling in
any form is against the law IN Pennsyl-
yania and Ohio, and yet in some sections