The New York herald., 1922-12-03
HOME RULE FAILS
ON THE RACE TRACK
Breeders and Owners Must
Have Voice in Making Rules,
Major Halsted Says.
U. T. A. SECRETARY QUITS
Has No Faith That Any of
Present Governing Bodies
Will Improve Conditions.
ny 'GURNEY c. CUE.

Among horSemen VINO attended the
"Old Glory" sale in New York last
week the state Of the trotting turf
was a subject Of frequent discussion.
Breeders, owners and drivers seemed
TO be almost unit in the opinion that
no campaign in generation had
brought to the surface go many evil
dences OF a breakdown in the general
government Of harness racing as the
one just ended. Suppression Of time,
pulling horses to avoid winning race
records and a noticeable lack OF re-
spect for rules and the judges whose
business II is to enforce them were
never before SO prevalent, many horse
men declared, while more than one
felt that present conditions will have
to be speedily remedied If the sport is
TO retain it's hold upon the class Of
men who have given 1t character.
But how to remedy the abuses which
\ everybody recognizes Is a question Tor
which few II any horsemen present could
find an answer. And the more familiar
they were with what may aptly be
termed the political situation In harness
racing the less assurance they appeared
can be found.
Major HaIsted Pessimistic.
Major W. NJ Halsted, secretary of the
Union Trotting Association and an anna
teur breeder owner and driver OF long
experience, is so pessimistic over the
outlook that he has declined to serve
longer in his present position. He says
bluntly that the representative form OF
government instituted on the trotting
turf more than fifty years ago has out
lived it's usefulness. owing to changed
conditions.
This form Of government. as is well
known puts all the power to make rules
and administer them IN the hands OF the
track managers. In the National Trot-
ting Association, the American Trotting
Association and ths Union Trotting As
sociation, which are the three rival gov
erning bodies, each track In membership
has one vote in electing officers and In
making rules. In the good old days,
when everybody, so to speak. was breed
ing trotters and driving them on the
road the thousand or more trotting tracks
Of tho country were nearly all In the
hands of horsemen. To-day. Major Hal
sted says, the great majority are con-
trolled by fair managers who have Just
about the same interest in trotting as in
vaudeville shows or performing dogs or
any other Of the attractions which draw
crowds to the country fairs. And they
know as much about one as another.
Practical Politics OF Turf.
In the pr.cticaI working Of the gov
~rumental machinery the proxy votes OF
these numerous and indifferent fair as
sociations are gathered in by the clique
who vote them in bunches OF fifty or
one hundred to keep themselves ana
t,. n(P ou
and directors OF the rule making. rule
enforcing authority. And when 1t comes
% TO rule enforcing these constituted au-
inorities find that home rule" Is the
Find that suits their constituents best
The little county fairs which supply
ihe controlling number OF proxies find
g. hard work to scare UP enough norses
l,r their races in these days. and q
cod many of them want to be not only
IRA rammelled but safe in holding out
,iucements to owners and trainers to
.cr their trotters and PAGERS. Oh
course the rules forbid conditional en-
les as being unfair to those who enter
+, ,der the published conditions, but
'.ay II you start Is the best bait
rack manager can hold out Again. 1t
y:Akes at the root OF the system OF
classifying horses in harness racing II
tho true time made IN races Is not an
nounced and entered in the official rec
ords, vet a secretary can get many
more entries II IL Is Just merely under
etood, that the official timers at his
track are always willing to take care
OF those who bring their horses TO his
meeting. And It helps to have the rep
utation of putting liberal Judges In the
stand, who recognize the inaljenable
right of every American citizen to do
as he pleases with his own property.
which sometimes means to pull his
horse II he wants to avoid the penalty
OF winning race record.
Union Association Didn't suit.
Major IIalsted tells of track not
forty miles from New York where the
practice Of suppressing the true time
became notorious. II was a member Of
the Union Trotting Association. and as
secretary Of that association he notified
the starter that his license would be re-
voked IL he failed to report any shading
OF the true time at a meeting about to
take place on the track In question.
There was no suppression OF time in
those races" Major Halsted said. but
the track withdrew from the Union and
Joined the National Trotting Associa-
ton
Give the owners and breeders . voice
In the government II Major Halsted's
remedy for present evils. He has no
faith that Improvement will come from
any OF the governing bodies constituted
as they are now.
That the viewpoint Of the owner Is
often, however. as shortsighted and
selfish as that OF the cross roads track
manager was shown by an amusing in
cident at tho annual meeting of the
Harness Horse Association In Lexington
last October. T, n. Cromwell, secretary
OF the Thoroughbred Horse Association
reports II as follows In tho Horse Re-
eiew.
"A man from great city in the
Northwest--a man who fs a power I'm
tho political and business life of that
tfty-got up IN the meeting and asserted
his belief that something should be done
TO curtail the power of judges. and went
on to explain that the power to which he
was objecting was the power 10 derrick
driver. lie said something like this:
The owner should have the right to know
and cay when his horse Is TO win a race
because II n the owner who pays the
bills and II is the owner who should
proht by the ability of his horse to win
when tho owner is ready for him TO
win. Now, gentlemen, ! appeal to you,
"a Il right that the jud ges should be per-
mtted to take that mans driver from
behind his horse and put up some fell
low who would go on and drive the race
out, giving the horse fast record when