The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-01-31
HARD BATTLE
INDICATED AT
HEARING
BY A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

@e4\G4NO1NDJ Jam "a " y
bills, one legalizing pari-mutuel
betting at race tracks and the
other setting up a racing commits,
sion for Virginia, have been re-
ported out of the House finance
committee and are now awaiting
their turn on the calendar with
the prospect of heavy fighting to
get them passed in the lower
house.
They were reported out by votes
Of 10-4, four of the ayes reserv-
ing the right to change their vote
on the floor of the house. They
were voted out, members OF the
committee said, So that they could
be brought to a vote of the full
house as more than a score of
delegates, including the entire
Northern Virginia delegation, had
signed as patrons of the COM
panion bills.
Hearing Yesterday
The bills came out after com
mittee hearing yesterday which
was conducted so quickly and
with so much courtesy on the
part of both proponents and OPP
ponents that Delegate Samuel D.
Rodgers, Petersburg, chairman
of the committee, remarked at its
conclusion:
"ThiS is certainly in contrast
with the hearings of 1884 when
tempers were frayed and each
side seemed to try to inflict
pain on the other"
Delegate Ralph H. Daughton,
Norfolk city, native OF Wash
ington, D. c., and one of the
patrons, explained the bill and
was the only speaker for the
proponents. Each side was al
lotted 40 minutes and Mr.. Daugh-
ton gave up about 10 minutes Of
his time to the opposition.
The bills, Mr.. Daughton said,
provided for a commission to regu-
late the three tracks which would
be allowed in the State. The com
miSSioners would post bond OF
$4,000 each and would be paid
$40 per day for each day worked.
plus expenses, but their daily
salary was not to exceed $1,000
each in any one year. Racing is
restricted to 100 days per year in
the State. All tracks must be
mile tracks and the minimum
purse under the proposed law
would be 5000. Each track would
have to run a minimum OF six
races during {. meeting.
State to Get Share
Three per cent of the play"
through the pari-mutuel machines
would revert to the State treasury
and 10 per cent of the gate re-
ceipts also would go to the State.
Seventy-five per cent of this sum
would be earmarked for the pub
lie schools and the remainder
would be the States prizes at
AGRICULTURAL and live stock shows.
Mr.. Daughton said everyone con
nected with the tracks and with
racing on Virginia tracks would
be licensed by the board which
would have absolute powers OF
revocation. He said:
"This bill the pari-mutuel
bilD will wipe out the hand
books which pay no revenue to
the State. Through these COM
paniOn measures we will be able
to regulate something we can't
cOntrOl-the gambling through
handbOOkS with their ticker ser
vices to all the tracks"
Opposition to the bill was led by
the Rev. A. P. Williams, Rich
mond Methodist pastor. Others
opposing the bill, all on the ground
that no matter what it was called
-pari-mutuel or anything elSe-it
still was gambling, included the
Rev. J. D. McAllister, executive
secretary of the Methodist tenn
perance and social service commit
tee: Mrs. w. M. Ogg, representing
parents and teachers; Judge j.
Holt Kicks, of the Richmond Juve-
nile and Domestic Relations Court,
who said drink, women and gam
bling were at the bottom Of most
domestic troubles; the Rev. F. w.
Burnham, who spoke of the bad
moral effects of racing; the Rev.
J. Gray McAllister, a Congrega.
tional pastor, resident of Louis
vile, KY, for Is years, who spoke
of the moral damage done there
by racing.
Mrs. Martha M. Brookings, of
Alexandria. representing tn e
w. C. T. U. of Arlington-Alexan-
dria and the committee of women
from the Alexandria churches,
told the committee the women she
represented remembered the old
rack track in Arlington county
which became such a fostering
sore that it was kicked out 80
years ago."
She said all kinds of vice fol-
low in the wake of racing and that
the local option features of the