New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-11
HugheS'S Work in Albany
Stamped Him as Builder
Acclaimed bv Members of Both Parties One of the
Best Governors Any State
Ever Had

blttcr struggle against EIea'
moneyed interests and powerful po-
litical bosses who sided with them. IL
was. indeed. the indignation Of the
public, aroused by the Governors
forceful presentation of the way in
which the fundamental law Of the
State had been defled to grant special
privileges on which gamblers and their
allies fourished in the name Of
sport" that won his crusade.
The constitution of the State OF New
York forbids poolselling, bookmaking,
lotteries-professional gambling, in a
word. Yet the racetrack interests in
the Percy-Grsy law had obtained a
statute which virtually permitted pro-
fessional gambling within racetrack
Enclosures by setting racing associa-
lions and racetracks off in a little ex-
empt class.
Immediately there arose q great
howl Of protest from the racetrack in
terests and the horde of professional
politicians that hung on 10 their
skirts. While all this was going on
before the public there was another
kind Of work being done behind the
scenes The professional gamblers.
the touts, the bookmakers, were at the
Capitol. endeavoring in their own way
20 defeat the Governor. Professional
politicians Of all grades were at work,
too.
The Peoples Governor"
Some Of this, or all OF II in
combination, was effective. The bills
failed of passage in the Senate by n
tie vote There was vacancy in the
Senate, caused by the death of Senator
Franchot. Governor Hughes, the day
the regular session of the Legislature
adjourned, called an extraordinary
session and gave notice Of a special
election in the Niagara Orleans Senate
district The Republican nominee,
William Wallace. a clean young lawyer,
pledged himself 10 stand with the
Governor if elected. Thereupon the
Governor promised to campaign the
dictrict for Wallace. In that he showed
himself once more the peoples Gov
ernor" by taking his case direct TO
them. Incidentally. they acknowledged
that he was their Governor by giving
Wallace their support in the teeth OF
remarkable efforts to defeat him.
Little secret was made of the fact
that a big fund was available-"race-
track money" it was called in the dis
trict-to beat Wallace. The factional
difficulties among the Republicans
were infamed. The people there, farm
ers with a taste for horsehesh in
many instances, weren't too keen to
strike any blow against horse-racing
Yet when they heard Governor Hughes
tell OF the insidious combination be-
tween politics and the racetrack in
terests, and the attacks made by the
holders of this special privilege on the
rights of the people outlined in the
constitution, they went TO the polls by
hundreds for Wallace. And the
Governors measures were passed at
the extra session by Wallace's vote.
Staggered and considerably injured,
professional gambling at the race
tracks was not killed Off. Oral book
making"-a device in various forms by
which no record was made of bets
took the place of the oldtime book
Inc courts seemed 70 hold that there
wasn't "bookmaking" if there wasn't
any book" Governor Hughes and
the people who had stood with him in
the passage of the original anti
gambling laws couldn't see the sense
of permitting public betting in OPP
position to the spirit of the law and
the constitution because there 'Tas
some doubt whether it came within
the letter Of the law. They set about
it to change the laws so there would
be no doubt.
That finally was accomplished after
much difficulty. AS the laws stsnd
now, bookmaking with or without
writing" is illegal. There is no dis
tinction in the law as between betting
inside and outside of a racetrack.
Moreover, directors or trustees o.
racing associations are TO be held
liable personally for public gambling