Evening star., 1937-02-07

requires at least hastily drawn pic
ture of the background In short. il
has been similar to grand intoXica-
ton with the hangover now firmly
established.
Typical New England State. Rhode
Island boasted of the money in its
banks in the old days and built its
whole life around those virtues OF
thrift. For years a Stalwart sports
man from the Newport area had at
tempted to gain enactment of horse
racing bill, but complete failure at
tended his efforts.
Deluge Of Propaganda.
The change came with the political
upheaval of 1882 and the citizenry
found itself deluged with propaganda
for legalized betting and racing. In
an off-election referendum with about
one-third of the qualified voters 60
ing to the polls, the project was given
public Endorsement and the hysteria
really set in.
In an amazingly short time OHara
and his associates raised sufficient
funds to purchase a site and build a
S2.000000 plant in Pawtucket. ad-
vantageously located in a densely
populated metropolitan area of some
100000 persons. With ballyhoo and
fanfare the physical structure of the
plant grew almost overnight, big races
were scheduled and Narragansett be-
came the sensation of the track world
Almost daily new records were set
for betting totals and the whole State
underwent an economic CONFUSION
that has reduced it to its present
condition of "the jitters."
BY the Rhode Island law, 10 per
cent is taken from the betting pool
with 6i2 per cent of this. plus break
age. going to the racing association
and 3l2 per cent going to the State.
In three years, the States share has
averaged about S1000,0O0 yearly.
That of the track has approached
S2,000,000 on the straight percentage
cut with the breakage amounting to
about s250,0O0 additional. Consisting
of the odd pennies, after bets are
paid off to the nearest nickel, this
breakage, incidentally, amounts to
about three-quarters of l per cent
of the betting total thus bringing the
total track percentage to about IA,
instead of the more generally reported
612.
Admittedly, of course, all this high
finance has resulted in two distinct
and vigorous schools of opinion on
the effects of horse-race betting in
a community. Business men, for
instance, differ in their reactions, de-
pending largely upon their line of
business. Sportsmen. too. differ, de-
pending largely upon whether they
subscribe to the theory that racing
Is sport or just a business.
Vociferous Disapproval.
Churchmen and others closely con-
cerned with the moral welfare of a
community are virtually unanimous
in their disapproval. Those of Rhode
Island have voiced that disapproval
in a way which will be
detailed in subsequent story. Bank
ers are almost united in their disap-
proval and croSS-section of those
who fancy themselves as the decent
people" seem to have reached a SINH
lar stage of opposition in Rhode
Island.
Many bases for their objections are
cited by different groups. but one
seems universal in Rhode Island
Whether it might become factor in
the District of Columbia may not BE-
accurately foretold.
Specifically. the objection is that
the horse racing industry has intruded
itself in almost every level of Rhode
Island politics-and to such degree
that politics is more the foot ball of
racing than vice versa.
Government itself, in feet, seems to
have become dependent upon the
Whims OF the racing industry as con-
stituted here. And today Democratic
Gov. Bob Quinn admits freely that
existence of a strong pro-racing bloc
IN both branches of the General As.
Sembly absolutely dooms any attempt
TO legislate adversely on an industry
which presumably was brought into
being by and is under the regulation
Of this same assembly.
Gov. Quinn, for instance, has ad-
mitted his conviction that the States
share OF the betting pool should be
increased and that the breakage
come to the State Treasury
rather than to that of the Narragan-
sett Racing Association. He has said
further. that he would sign a bill
effecting these changes-and he has
admitted in the next breath that such
legislation would have no chance of
passage over the opposition of the
blocs.
Open Political Power.
So openly has this political power
Of the racing industry been admitted
that the track management informed
the General Assembly by letter that
I'VE would feel it imperative to keep
the park closed unless the sections
regarding take and breakage in the
original bill remain as passed" The
threat holds, the letter also said. "if
The present racing bill is changed in
any form"
The foundation for this political
power lies in the open alliance be-
tween the track management and the
Democratic machine of Pawtucket.
political organization that holds the
city in complete control. As part of
It's contribution to that alliance, the
track management publishes a weekly
which devotes much of its
space to excoriation of all political
foes of the Mccoy machine in Paw
tucket. Among these foes, inciden-
tally, is the State Democratic organi-
cation headed by Gov. Quinn.
Lesser manifestations of the degree
to which the racing industry has
linked itself with politics are found
n the fact that members Of city and
own councils in the immediate area
nave held Jobs at the track, while nu-