The Nespelem tribune. [volume] (Nespelem, Wash.) 1934-1936, 1935-05-15
Dog Race Battle
Annoys Governor
Legal Aspect Of Donation Bet
ting Comes Before Martin;
poor Mans Sport

OLYMPIA, May 13-The battle Of
the Vancouver dog races, with
their quasi-legal donation" bets,
has occupied Governor Martins
time and mind as much as the sales
tax the past few weeks.
In several letters from the gov
ernor and Attorney General G. w.
Hamilton, Clark county officials
were informed that it was just as
illegal to donate" to pot as it was
to place their bets with pari-mut
uel booths.
Dog Races Cause Worry
The governors main concern has
been that dog races have been OPP
Grating outside the law, while horse
races have been legalized by the
washington legislature.
The fact dog races have tried by
subterfuge to evade anti gambling
laws did not help their case any,
Governor Martin expressed fear dog
races would spring up in other cities
of the state, despite the fact the
last two legislatures failed to sane
ton dog racing.
Clark county officials declared
that antagonism against dog races
there was arising from Seattle horse
racing, baseball and theater inter-
ests. Other reports were there were
two camps" or dog racing syndi-
Gates fighting each other for
supremacy-one trying to get legal
dog racing bill through the legisla-
ture and the other running races
without law.
"Poor Mans Sport"
Dog racing has been called the
"poor mans sport" since it operates
in cities while horse races must be
staged out of town and require
transportation. Dog races also
charge smaller admission fees and
are run at night, both to draw the
less affluent trade.
Due to the Importance of the
precedent it will set, the governor
has been wroth to act hastily one
way or another on the dog race
problem. Some demands were even
made that he suppress the races by
using the state patrol.
Since he refused innu1nerable de-
mands to call out the patrol on the
longshoremen's strike last year
chances were slim he would "sic"
them on the dog racers.
Race promoters sought public
favor in Vancouver by donating a
sizeable lump of their profits to the
county. Ministers and public Off
Gals were enlisted in their support.
Report Forgotten
What happened to the report of
Governor Martins advisory consti-
tutional revision commission, en-
bracing suggestions for one-house
legislature and numerous govern
mental changes?
The report was submitted to the
1885 legislature, a 40-page, bound
report, including nine recommended
bills and reasons for them.
The legislature took no action on
the report, which was drafted after
many hours of labor by the nine
man committee, headed by Thomas
r. Waters, Bellingham attorney. A
few of its recommendations were
included, in substance at least, in
bills, but none was passed.
Protect Their Jobs
The report may be used by the
1897 legislature as a basis for
remedial legislation. The idea of a
one-house legislature will stand little
chance of passing any legislative
body, according to predictions here
Although many think the people
would strongly favor such a move
after the 1885 session dubbed the
worst legislature in history"-they
may never get a chance. A ONE
house legislature cannot be created
without changing the constitution