The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-10-24
AN APPEAL TO THE MANHOOD
OF MARYLAND THAT SHOULD
BE Needed.
Horse Racing VS.. Race Track.
Gambling.

Horse Racing VS.. Race Track.
Gambling.
We wish to call your attention to
a great and growing evil in Mary
land. This evil is race-track gamb-
ling. In presenting this matter we
desire to impress upon you that none
of the organizations which we rep
resent or with which we are connect
ed has any desire to stop horse
racing, to do away with race tracks
or prevent the development of horses
which comes through the testing OF
their speed or endurance. These all
can be conducted without legalized
gambling, without the book-maker
or the pari-mutual machine, and the
undesirable element which follows
in their wake, as is evidenced by
many race tracks in other States,
notably at Goshen, New York, where
annual races without betting are
conducted and purses as high as
$4,000 are offered.
AS a result of the legaiizing OF
race track gambling in Maryland, it
has fastened itself like giant
octopus upon our social, moral, eco
monte and political life, as well as
extracting millions of dollars from
our people.
Forty-three States in the United
States have abolished race track
gambling. There are but three
States that legalize it, Maryland,
Kentucky and Nevada.
According to the Chiefs of Police
and the detectives of Buffalo,
Albany, Saratoga and New York
City, the Hughes law passed by New
York State has done away with SO
per cent of the gambling there.
This is the law we want passed for
Maryland. When New York and
New Jersey and the 9th Al States
drove out the race track gamblers
they flocked to Maryland, which is
exceptionally well situated for ply
ing their nefarious business because
of its geographical position and
facilities for travel; consequently
we have four large race tracks loca-
ted in the State, Havre de Grace, on
the Pennsylvania Railroad; Laurel,
on the B. & o. r. R.; Bowie, on the
W., B. & A. Electric Road, and
Pimlico, on the edge of Baltimore,
and easily reached by all roads. In
addition to these there are several
smaller tracks.
Approaching that the continuance
of race track gambling in our county
and State is an influence detrimental
to the progress of good social and
moral life. and realizing that we are
unable, without the help of our
sister counties to combat this organ
inized evil, we are appealing to the
men and women of Maryland, who
value their rights and the rights of
every American home to be protected
from organized vice, to come to the
rescue, not only of the young men
and women of Prince Georges Cpun-
ty, in whose midst this evil flourish
es, but of those thousands. of young
men and women of our State and
nation who are constantly subjected
to the far-reaching influence of this
most evil of all evils, by sending to
the next session of our General As
sembly men of such moral courage.
who, realizing that any race track
commission bill, or any bill whatso-
ever. that seeks to legalize any form
of race track gambling, in any coun-
ty of our State is State issue, the
menace of which we cannot escape,
will fight good fight for the SUI
premacy of right and pass law
which will once and for all time
wipe from every county of our State
this most prenici-ous evil.
IRENE B. MELOY, Chairman,
Committee Opposed to Race Track
Gambling, Prince Georges County
Federation Women's Clubs.
Elizabeth H. Patterson, Chairman,
Anti-Race Track Gambling Commit
tee of The Maryland State Grange.
Tommy-'Pop, what do we mean