The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1920-04-02
Bowie Facing BIT Passed

Bowie Racing BtH Passed
" 2 vote Of u to 10, the Senate last
Thursday evening" passed tbs 4
Racs Track bill, by ja=t -a= Q @ee
three fifths needed 70 puc the measure
across. Tbs majority We o-cs=a"
raa7on Of she astachm q re e~s:E
eac7 clause, without which me e2
would not become effective gnn1 lure
/. Or after the time fixed for ire 5Psing
meeting had elapsed.
Late Wednesday Governor Rl5chje
signed the Bowie 8acetraak bill. under
which the Bowie track is enabled to held
its April meeting. as the measure has
An emergency clause which pats II IL
10 effect as soon as signed
At tbs same time Inc GoVsraor sign
ed she Burke State Wide Regulation
bill which passed the Senate y edueaaaE-
The quick signature OF Jhat ueea ~al@
was somewhat surprising. bat the Gov.
egnor evidently wanted il to b q Ia"
at the same time as Inc Bow Oil.
After signing the bills the Governor
gave out the following stasemeut:
The Burke bill aad tae bowie bill
have both passed me Legislature and
are before ne Tor action. nave de
ci4ed toapprove both bills, and III view
OF the public i terest ~ them / VII
briefly give ny reason
The only question b fore me now Is
shall racing continue unragulaced Is IS
present, or licensed and regulated by Che
State?
.sOn this question nave no doahr
whatever. II racing is 70 conU1ue
should not BE- under the. present
conditions. It should be under strice
State supervision. through properly
constituted commission and upon pay
meut Of a heavy license fee.
The Burke bill provides for this, and
if do not approve it then racing Will
continue in Maryland unregalated and
uncontrolled.
For these reasons l. will approve the
Burke bill.
The Bowie bill provides for she az,
po.ntnslnl Of : racirg commission foi
p..nce George -g.l.ls, ~hich sbal
have authority to grant Licenses u lac
Ing corporations or agricultural fa2i
associations for the purpose Of con
Quoting racing III Prince George coGn-
~ on terms and conditions prescribed
bv the commission. The duty of APP
y,oiatlnc this commission il placed upon
me Governor an It's power TO regulate
is complete
The bill Is made an emergency meas
ure so that it may take effect at on <,
The object, of course. being to enahla
goyyie 20 hold its April meet. Il the
Bowie bill does not lake effect at once,
then the April meet cannot be held, be-
eause the Court Of Appeals has recently
reid the laws under which Bowie has
heretofore operated Invalid.
"Tbe effect Of signing the Burke bill
wilt be that even if / were TO veto tn
Bowie bill the Only thing that thj.
would necessarily mean Is that BOW
cauld not conoult It's Aprlt meet, o
rarse on June l, when the Burke bil.
takes effect, the SCaGa Racing Commls-
jon will have full power to'racogni1
Bowie again and to authorize Il &C OF
crate thereafter upon the sane term.
and conditions upon which Il authorizes
other tracks to operate
s'IJnder these circumstances, / see n
reason for depriving Bowie alone OF the
RIGHT 20 conduct its spring meet. Ehfs
would be the one ana C1iy effect
vetoing the Bowie bill, because tae
low rlC,E7 t~nun7sr.-
i0g The other tracks, will be repealed
bQ the Burke bill on J lne |. and there
after all tracks viii be under the State
Racing Commission.
s.While personally believe that the
immediate preservation of the public
health and safety does noe require TIE
Bowie bill to take effect at once, l do
not consider this sufficient reason Iol
vetoing the bill.
"Under the Cons tItution the Leg,sia-
ture, not the G, vernon, is clearly mace
the Judge of whether or not an en- 9Eg-
ency exists requiring any particular Dill
to take effect 1t once.
Il am unwilling 20 adopt the prince
pie that an emergency OH should y
vetoed siG.piy because che Governor
may happen to disagree Win the dec!--
ration OF the Legislature thu. theTa IS
in tact an emergency scr 1t.
For these reasons / will approve the
Bowie bdi''.
The Governor appointed the following
to compose the Prince Georges Racing
Commission: L. 6. Sasscer, Ch-jrmsr.
Henry L. Morris ard T. FClg"a Gatas
Senator Mule I'D tae opposition I'll
loving the receipt Of telegram, from