The Sentinel=record., 1915-02-21
VISITORS HOPING
 BILL WILL PASS
NEW ORLEANS VISITOR STATES CROWD THERE READY TO
 COME TO THIS CITY.
Tells of Success of Recent Race Meet and Predicts Same Thing For Hot Springs f Bill Passes.
BY WALTER M. EBEL.

League
 There are any number of persons
 who have recently been to New Or leans now sojourning in this city Learning that an effort was being
 made to get through the general as
 sembly the State Fair Commission
 bill which will legalize racing under the pari-mutuel system, and knowing ] that this measure passed the house.
 they have come here, hoping that the
 efforts of friends of the bill will be
 successful.
 The Arlington is entertaining a large party of men who have been Co New Orleans, and yesterday at the
 Marquette hotel Tom J. Petit called l my attention to r. r Toole of Par. kersburg, w. Va, who had arrived
 from tnat city the night before Mir Toole, so it was stated. had been to
 New Orleans previous to the race meet, which closed there Tuesday. SO was in a position to give some very
 interesting information regarding th same
 When it came to being interviewed,
 however, Mir. Toole was as shy as a mountry maiden meeting her first
 beaux He claimed he was not a "bll
 enough man to be interviewed D and
 recommended some of his friends at
 the Arlington. Mir Toole however,
 is "big man, and when one shakes
 hands with him one realized the eX. change of felictations and an intro duction is taking place and when his genial disposition gets working over time one excuses his protest anent the interview
 "I went to New Orleans" he said, about a month before the races opened. Business there was dull, so the business men who promoted the meet determined to get the races and see if a good race meet would not bring people to that city 1t was nee essary to raise $10.000 to assure the success of the meet This amount was raised by tn5 sale Of stock. and in order to scatter the burden no one man was allowed to buy more than two shares for those who prompted the meet anticipated that amount would be lost So far as l know the $40,o00 is still in the banks down there, and the race meet made money
 There was never a day when there were less than 1000 visitors to the tracks, and on Tuesday, which was ladies day. there were as h.-d 1s 12,000 to l5, eersons present, The race meet was a biz financia' sIcce in every way. It filled the hotels there. It made business good and the people of New Orleans happy.
 "There are 200 horsemon with their stock now in New Orleans waiting word from Arkansas. In the morning that is the first question that they ask: Is there any news from Hot Springs today? and l know that if your State Fair Commission bill be comes a law that these horses win be brought to Hot Springs, The ma iority of the visitors who went to New Orleans are still there, and they too, will come to Hot Springs. have heard them state time and again that they would like to come here for the baths. but they want 10 have the rae ing. too, and the baths are not strong enough 10 bring them here without other entertainment l hope that the State Fair Commission bill will pass
 MT. Toole but reiterated what has been said by many others who are visiting Hot Springs at the present time-that there should be some en- tertainment for visitors; that the baths are not a sufficient inducement to bring the people here, but that, with a good race meet, the city will be filled with visitors.