The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-09-23

iisnlnS and directing the attention Ol
us readers to communication from
the Rev. e. G. B.. Mann, in the
Peoples Forum of this issue.
The Herald welcomes the opportu.
nifty to join with the Rev. Mr.. Mann
In his indicated desire to have il
set up straight at the start" in the
movement that has been inaugurated
oy Helm Bruce, who has gathered
about him a committee to prosecute
the effort to prohibit the use of pari-
mutuel machines on the race track.
According to Mr.. Mann there will
be sent:
"A QUESTIONABLE to all candidates
Tor both houses of the Legislature
requesting them to state their posi-
ton on the proposed bill to abolish
the legal sanction now given by
| Kentucky statutes to the use Of
pari-mutuel gambling machines on
the race track grounds of the State"
The form of that QUESTIONABLE is Of
importance and that form will reveal
whether Mr.. Bruce and his committee
are frank with the people. Some
Of the members of the committees
are in all probability quite ignorant
Of the history of racing and unfamil-
lar with the effect Of various laws
that have been passed. But Mr..
Bruce, the chairman-and apparent
ly the directing genius of the COM
mittee-should be, and we doubt not.
is thoroughly familiar with such
laws. He knows that before the pas.
sage of the act creating the State
Racing Commission and authorizing
the use of pari- mutuel machines the
book-makers controlled the betting on
race tracks. He knows that Celia,
TILES and Adler, of st. Louis and
New York, who ran bucket-shopS
and race tracks in various sections
of the country. owned Latonia and
Douglas Park; that there was syn
dictate book on all of the tracks con-
trolled by them; that instead of
there being a commission of five per
cent. taken from the amount bet. the
books were made on a basis of from
twenty to thirty per cent. which
was retained by the bookmakers.
Mr.. Bruce knows that racing
was in deplorable condition;
that the meetings were long and that
under the syndicate system OF book
making there was every sort OF ras-
cality committed: that the passage OF
the act creating the State Racing
Commission and giving that Com
mission control of racing shortened
the meetings and required an increase
in the purses, which under the own
ership of the bookmaking- bucket
shop combination were not one-fourth
as large as they are to-day.
The owners of those tracks lnStl-
tuted a suit to have the act creating
the State Racing Commission declar-
ed unconstitutional. Mr.. Bruce is
entirely familiar with these facts,
for he was their attorney. The pur-
pose of that suit was to destroy the
power of the State Racing Commits
sion, that required the use OF the
pari-mutuel machines and required
larger purses and stakes, and give to
Mr.. Bruce's clients the power to run
those tracks as they pleased, with
syndicate book, long meetings and
purses of the smallest amount for |
which they could induce any owners
to run their horses on a merry-go'
round. :.
Mr.. Bruce was entirely within his
rights as a lawyer to act as attorney
for Celia, Titles and Adler in their
effort to continue to give the small
est purses they could run a syndi-
cate book, with percentage OF from
twenty to thirty per cent, instead OF
pari-mutuels with a percentage OF
only five per cent and requirement
by the State Racing Commission ID
give fair-sized purses and stakes.
Mr.. Bruce failed in his efforts to
have declared unconstitutional the
act creating the Racing Commission.
The Court of Appeals thwarted the
.ffort to re-establish the power OF the
bucket shop bookmaking comblna-
ion, for which Mr.. Bruce was the
attorney.
DR.. Mann in his statement this
and Mr.. Bruce in the propa-
,anda that he is putting out empha-
lie the fact-as stated by DR.. Mann:
The toll for the Kentucky Jockey
Club is about $3,000,000." We do
lot known whether this is correct, /,
,ut we will ascertain the facts.
Assuming it, for the moment, to be
orrect, the statement made by Mr..
Bruce, "that a legalized giant
monopoly realizes profit Of two or
hree millions dollars year out OF
his demoralizing vice." is absolutely
Mr.. Bruce knows that f
tatement is not accurate. II
Out of the five per cent commission e
rom the pari-mutuel machines ana :
he admission fees, the Kentucky :
ockey Club pays taxes and licenses
ggregating somewhere between a
alf million and three quarters or a
lillion dollars; it pays the expenses
f conducting the race meetings tnat
ggregate hundreds of thousands CT L
ollars; we do not known now