Evening star., 1922-01-22
|DEN|ES RACE TRACK
NEWS IS BARRED.
Only Publication of Betting
Odds Declared Prohibited
by Walsh Measure.
To the Editor OF The Star:

The opposition to the Walsh amend :
ment to Fl. II. 65OS, which declares
any paper to be non liable which
contains by way ef advice or sug-
or bets have been made or offered
to be made have seriously misinter-
preted the bill in several ways: "a
1t is wrongly asserted that the bill
forbids all racing and sporting news:
(2) that 1t makes the Postmaster
General the censor of news, and go
that it is blow to the freedom of
the press.
Only Odds Prohibited.
l. l challenge any one to quote any
words in section that would inter-
fere with any newspaper publishing
all the news of race or contest.
provided that it did not print the odds
by way of advice or suggestion in
such away as to assist promoted
gambling.
1t should be noted in considering
the section that it is not forbidden
to publish the Outcome or result"
of contests. but only the odds upon
that outcome or result by way of
advice or suggestion" as to how to
bet or how to settle ones bets.
2. The bill does not make the Post
master General IA censor. because
every United States district judge in
the country can restrain for counter
mand his orders. Amy person aG-
grieved by action of post Office au-
mailable has recourse to the United
States district court, and in case an
injunction is refused, recourse to
higher courts. The laws already. de-
clare to he non-mailabIe all news
papers which contain obscene matter
or which advertise lotteries or
fraudulent schemes But in each case.
where matter is rejected by the mails,
there is possible an appeal to the
courts. Senator Borah's objection
that section would give additional
bureaucratic power to the Post Office
adding the following amendment
which is identical with the Borah
amendment to the Sterling sedition
bill. S. 1875. which declares non-
| mailable papers which contain sedi-
; tious matter:
"Provided further. That any author
publisher or party affected or ag-
! grieved by the action of the Post
| master General in excluding materials
! from the mails under this section
! shall. upon fling a bond to cover the
+, actual cost of such proceeding, be en-
| titled to hearing de novo before
a judge of the federal court of the
| district or circuit in which the party
! affected or aggrieved resides. The
! court shall have power during the
| pendency of the proceedings in court
! to suspend the order of the Post
master General: provided further tha
| no such court proceedings shall bal
| or interfere with any criminal prose
! cution under the terms of this act
No Danger to Press Seen.
| 8. The freedom of the press is no
imperiled by forbidding the news
! papers to be partners. consciously OIL
unconsciously. of the Eace tracl
are swayed by commercial considera
! tions to grant favOrs of publicity tt
/ businesses that are contrary to pub
| lie welfare that the real menace t.
Il free press shows itself. In a de
/ mocracy power rests with the peo
pie and in their laws. Freedom j:
preserved by thwarting the attempt.
OF various autOcratic commercial in
terests to dominate politics. violate
i laws. enslave the press and exploit
the weaknesses and ignorance of thu
people.
The gambling promoters aimed a
! in this bill have wealthy and pow
erful organization which has not pre-
sented itself at the hearings. 1t pre-
| fers to keep out of sight and to- lie
{ certain newspapers fight the battl,
| for it.
| The silence of the vast majorit,
"f the press and the activity Of (:
few papers against this bill are yer,
significant. The representative of tn,
American Newspaper Publishers As
! sociation. with membership of $50
| which is so per cent of the larger
newspapers. said:
Few Publish Race News.
| Ninety per cent of our, member
have already discontinued, withou
/ coercion from anybody, printing rae
track news. l mean race track en-
! tries and odds and tips, when l sa,
race track news. l believe it is a fai
| statement that twenty years ag,
| practically every newspaper in tn
country devoted a large amount o
! space in its sporting columns to tn
! publication of this kind of news"
| The Methodist board of publ,
morals, which has asked the news
| papers of the country what thei
| opinion on the subject is announce.
the majority of the editors who ar
! Informed of the matter" approve o
! section 5.
Most papers are apparently agains
printing gambling news. Some o
the fifty papers printing such new,
| feel that they are forced to by tn
| practice of competitors. They wei
come this bill as an aid to rid thei
! columns from the racing tips. Unde
! these conditions, the active oppositio,
| to the bill from a newspaper show.
the great power of the gambling in
| terests, not necessarily to buy tn
| papers. but indirectly to control thei
| terests are vastly greater danger t.
+! the freedom of the press than i
| section S. WM. SHEAFE CHASE.
IREAI ISTIC AIR RATTLE