Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-06-06
RACING IS Threatened.
SIMS-STERLiNG BILL
WOULD END SPORT
breeding of Thoroughbred Horses
Also Would be Affected Materially
by Measure.

NEW YORK, June 5.-Thoroush-
| bred race horse breeding stands in
danger of being destroyed if the
S S,ms,S,eri'ns biil. now pending in
would prohibit the carrying of race
! horse news over the telegraph and
telephone wires and through the
mails.
With the destruction Of organized
racing would go the thoroughbred
breeding industry of the United
States. which was we'll nigh wrecked
some ten years back in consequence
of witlcssly hostile legislation i'm sew
cral of the States. Considerably more
than SlO0.000,o00 are invested in this
industry now and it is fast attracting
new men of wealth and socia! and
business distinction. Without or
ganized and generously patronizcd
racinE-the patronage of racing
would become negligible thing If
the right to gather and disseminate
news of 1t were denied tho daily pa
pers-thcrc would be no profitable
employment or sale for the produce of
thoroughbred stations and mares
that are today bringing in the mar
kcts of Great Britain. France and
the United States from $4,000 to $685.
| 600 apiece.
belmont Made big Sale.
August Belmont. one American
thoroughbred producer, recently sold
to Il thoroughbred breeder of the Ar
Sentine republic for the sum of s253.-
600, the Kentucky bred thoroughbred
stallion Tracery. Edward +. Simms,
another American thoroughbred pro-
ducer. recently paid in France u mat
ter of S250,00O for the British
thoroughbred stallion Prince Palatine
and MIR. Simms will presently bring
FRINGE Palatinc over the Atlantic for
the service OF improving the breed of
! American horses at his recently or
Snnizcd Nalapa stud, which is domi-
eiicd in bourbon County. Kentucky.
,no Mlim ,n the wiping out Of the
the United States. now. happily, in u
| nouriShinEly productive condition.
/ would. inevitably, pass the last
automobile made Improbable the
| production in largo numbers of old
fashioned harness and road horses.
, Racing has maintained steadily a
PAVING market for the thoroughbred
and his legitimate offspring. the tro,-
| ter. Destroy the thoroughbred breed
| ing Industry and IL will become i'm
possible for the rcmount service of
! the army to properly equip with
horses the cavalry. artillery and
| transport arms OF the forces of ma
tional defense. Without horses of
| thoroughbred blood the United States
! would he at Il hopeless disadvantage,
IN a military sense, in any future war
| with 4 first, or second. or, even
| a third class power. There are not
enough really scrviccablc military
the quitting of AN army of 100000
| Ready vcrincation of these stated
mcnts may be had from the officers
OF the rcmount service in Washing
Governments Encourage breeding.
In every other well-organized
country thoroms Inbred horse racing
couragement. The government OF the
United States could hardly under
take to defray; by an expenditure
already grievousiy overburdcncd,
the cost of maintaining breed OF
horses the votarics OF racing, whose
numbers run into the hundreds OF
thousands, are now joyously sun
porting by their patronage of the
race courses.
The attitude of the remount ser
pred morse racing was defined clear
~ at Annapolis early in March in
E me las, paragraph of a memorial
oihcer OF cavalry and the last chief
OF the rcmount service Of the 4. j..
+: IN France. read To committee
that had under consideration GER
tain legislation designed to destroy
the pari mntuel system of betting
OF sh-class and well-ordcrcd rae
ins in the Old Line State. Colonel
Koch said:
Gentlemen, the army asks YOU TO
consider deeply before you take any
step that might handicap racing.
We must maintain the army and we
must have cavalry. To mount cav
airy we must have the thorough
bred. In order to produce the thor
ouEhored we must have racing"
There is no Informed sentiment
behind the Sims-Stcrling bill 1t
was conceived in narrow spirited
ignorance. Its passage is being
urged by those elements of profess
sional reform which have been so
DerniciOuSly active in puShinr otber
! restrictive measures that have re-
duced the liberties of the American
people well nigh TO the vanishing
point.
Virginia herself stands high in
the production of thoroushbrcd
horses. Eilersiie Farm. which is in
Albemarle, sent $4,000 worth OF