Licking Valley courier., 1921-10-20

Mr.. Bruce may not know 1t, but We
believe 1t 10 be fact that the chief
reason his known client, Celia and his
actual clients,- Cella's associates,
wanted the act declared unconstitu.
tional was that 1t made possible the
destruction Of their syndicate book.
We do not say that Mr.. Bruce
knows 1t, because after his statement
we fear to state that he knows even
the most widely known fact, but ac.
cording to the grand jury Of Jeffer-
son County it is a fact shat vast
number Of handbooks are being oper.
ated in the city Of Louisville"
We have not heard Of any movemen,
by Mr.. Bruce to stop these hand books
II Mr.. Bruce had succeeded in the
suit to declare unconstitutional the
act creating the State Racing Com.
mission there would be books on the
race tracks as well as handbooks In
the city. The law now prohibits hand.
books in the city. But they exist in
the city of Louisville, Yet Mr.. Bruce
starts campaign against 'legalized
betting" and so far as we know takes
no action against the illegal betting
that is, il our opinion, infinitely the
greater evil, which Is rampant in his
own home town.
In the communication published this
morning, Mr.. Bruce says:
II have never pretended to make
any accurate statement Of what are
the total profits of the Jockey Club,
because do not know them"
In a statement by him sent through
the Associated Press from Louisville
September IT, he says:
"a legalized giant monopoly enjoy.
ing the gambling privileges realizes q
profit Of two or three million of dol.
lars a year out Of this demorallzlna
vice."
Again we apologize for having stat.
ed in a previous editorial that Mr..
Bruce knows this statement is inaccu.
rate. But we avow that 1t is inaccu.
rate and utterly misleading and
known to be inaccurate by every man
and woman who has even cursory In.
formation in regard to the purses and
stakes given by the Jockey Club, the
expenses incident to the conduct OF
racing and the taxes paid by the
Jockey Club.
Mr.. Bruce closes his communication
with this statement:
"Parl-mutuel betting on the race
tracks may be safer form of betting
than bookmaking-safer for the gam
bler-but 1 am not interested in pro
tecting the gambler"
Who Is 1t Mr.. Bruce is interested
in protecting? AS lawyer he was
interested in forwarding the interests
of Celia, titles and Adler, who, though
Of course he never knew 1t, conducted
bucket-shops and syndicate books
The present movement fathered by
him will inure to the benefit Of the
bookmaker and handbook men, though
equally Of course he does not know
this. As proven by the result In New
York, the success Of the movement he
advocates will lead to form Of
gambling that is most pernicious AMI
as a rule crooked.
As revealed by the report Of the
grand jury in Louisville, the hand
books flourish even In the rarified at.
mosphere that surrounds Mr.. Bruce.
Not interested In protecting the
gambler? OF course not. Not inter.
ested In the personnel Of his clients
who employed his services to destroy
the State Racing Commission so that
they might run race tracks in Ken.
lucky as they ran them in Missouri
solely for the benefit of the syndicate
booki Not interested In protecting
the breeding lEterestsf What is Mr.
| BruceS real luIeTestI
His letter reveals, according TO his
own statements, that Mr.. Bruce has
never been interested enough to as
certain even the most widely known
facts in regard to racing and th"t
he knows no more about 1t now than
he knew when he was the attorney
for Douglas Park and the bucket-shop
bookmaking aggregation that owned It
Why Is Mr.. Bruce giving his time
and his high ability and great repu.
tatioE and his mo- ey to this fight to
have repealed The provision in the
Kentucky statutes that was passed
April 9Th, 1893, years before he ap-
peared as the attorney for the Douglas
Park Jockey Club2 He did not then
attempt to have that section Of the
statutes repealed The act creating
the State Racing Commission was
passed In 1906. The provision under
which parl-mutuels are permitted was
passed in 1893, thirteen years before
that, During those years the book.
makers operated as unmolested on the
race tracks as they now operate in
Louisville and will again operate on
the race tracks II Mr.. Bruce succeeds
In his present efforts.
Every man familiar with racing
knows that racing has been cleaner
and Oh higher plane; that the stakes
and purses are four or Ave hundred
per cent greater since the bookmakers
were driven from the tracks. But Mr.
Bruce lis not interested In protecting
ing the gamblers" nor the horsemen
nor the breeders nor the financial In.
terests Of the State, nor iH driving sul
the handhooks In I,oui,villa
O. NJ. OAKLEY