Evening star., 1922-03-02
HORSE RACING GETS
BLOWN maryland
Decisive Vote for Measure
Which Rejects State Rev.
enue of 500, 900.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ANNAPOLIS. March 2.-There is
general bewilderment at Annapolis
over the action of the Maryland legis-
lature In passing in such overwhelm-
Ing fashion the bill which dissolves
: the connection between the state gov
I ernment and race track gambling and
which In consequence. knocks to
pieces the whole scheme upon which
Gov. Richie based the financial side
OF his extensive schemes for public
improvements.
There has been a general tendency
to treat as out of the question the
proposition that Maryland would fore
go $4,000 year in revenue. but when
the house of delegates adopted the bill
financial sacrifice with it. and took
TINS alton by 3-to-1 vote, both the
friends of the track and the supporters
OF GOV. Ritchie's administration were
, swept from their feet.
Friends of Tracks Dnzed.
At present the friends Of the tracks
are barely able to look about them.
anu nave not yet formulated plan to
continue their existence.
| Opponents Of the race tracks an
nounce with the utmost confidence
that their bill will have another tri-
umph in the senate, and that it will
reeve the votes of at least sixteen of
furtber. that three or four more sena-
| tors are wavering, and that the over
Whelm!uE vote in the house will mean
| that some of them will join the ma
| jority.
Naturally, some hope would be
| placed in Gov Rifcbia lint IL Sc
| stated that the governor long ago
| said that he would sign any bill
! relative to race track gambling, and
| also as to prohibition enforcement,
! which the Legislature would pass
| The governor. though personally of
the other way of thinking, made this
concession to the uplifters in the
state, and there seems to be no doubt
| that he will adhere to it.
The vote in favor Of the state
enforcement act had Il substantial
| majority in the house of delegates
and is now on the third reading file
and ready for final passage. but no
! one anticipated the sweep which the
anti-race track gambling bill would
| make. The paid agents who were
| had no idea of more than sixty-five
| votes for the bill. and it got ten
| more than that, with some members
| absent.
| Support From Baltimore.
| The most surprising thing about the
vote was that the bill received the
| support Of about half the members
from baltimore city. all whom. ex-
cept Hall, had been listed against the
| bill. and of many of the delegates
| from counties which contain tracks
| Among these are to be mentioned the
| five delegates from Anne Arundel. in
, which is situated the Laurel track
the most productive in funds in the
state, all of whom voted against the
| bill. The tracks at one time claimed
| them all. and hardly a resident OF
the section but believed that two
| would certainly be with the tracks
! There is now a movement for more
drastic legislation against the tracks
SO as to make bookmaking impossi-
| BILE. OF course, this is now against
! the law, but many think that the
| present provisions are insufficient to
| enforce it, and want more stringent
| laws on the subject. Action is eX-
/ pected which will make horseracing
; so Improbable and dangerous that
| it will soon be thing of the past
! in Maryland.