Evening star., 1939-12-24
New York Awaits Interesting
Change to Track Pari>Mutuels
Conservatives Say Shift From Bookmaking Will
Result in Strict Commercialism; Let's Be
Above Board' Moderns Declare
By Herbert Bayard Swobe,
New York State Racing Commissioner.

New YORK state Ri
NEW YORK.-When it's next racing
season is inaugurated in the spring OF
1910, New York will at last go modern"
and install the pari-mutuel betting
system.
It has taken an amendment to the
State constitution to bring about the in
novation, and there are two camps of
opinion in New York thoroughbred rae
ing which await the operation Of the
change with the acutest interest.
One is made up of the conservatives,
the men grown gray in the sport, who
believe that the installation of the Iron
men" spells all that is crude and COM
mercial and tawdry in noble sport. The
other camp consists of those who con-
slider that New York has Jagged too long
and should bring itself into step with
times as they are. They place emphasis
upon the revenues to be derived by the
State which should reach total of sew
eral millions annually.
There is good deal to be said on
either side and here, briefly, are the ar
guments as they have been advanced,
presented as objectiveiy as possible:
The conservatives say New York is one
Of the Oldest racing States in America
and for more than three quarters of a
century has been its leading State. The
Travers Stakes, the oldest stake race in
the United States, was inaugurated at
Saratoga in 1864. The Belmont, the SUBJ
urban the Brooklyn and score of other
classics have been famous for more than
so years and roster of their winners
within that time takes in all the pre-
dominant names in American turf his
tory. New York has never raced for
profit. the conservatives insist Racing
has been to improve the breed of horses"
and to furnish thrilling sport Race
courses like Belmont Park and Saratoga
have paid few dividends and their own
ers have never expected them to. On
years when they break even their boards
OF directors are content. Above all, New
York has never encouraged the earners
Of small wages and the classes that live
by the exercise of dubious wits to come to
its courses and wager money they cannot
afford. 1t has always kept its admission
prices high. And 1t has remained. up to
last election day. when the people at
large voted to change the picture. the
last OF the old-line or book betting rae
ing States.
Moderns' Views Different.
The moderns in New York racing take
different viewpoint. They maintain, in
the f1rst place. that to keep the books 60
ing at all New York has always had to
work by subterfuges and legal fictions.
That. in the last 80 years particularly,
ever since 1909, racing has always had to
work counter to plain declaration in
the State constitution forbidding gam
bling and pool selling of any kind. And
that only by compromise law, enacted
IN 1884 and leaving gambling illegal but
yet unpunishable. was racing saved from
virtual annihllation. So, they say. Let's
be open and above board We have
provision now that will give racing legal
lty and status. The other racing States
all have it, so there must be something
IN IT, Let's try it Outright out In the
open"
The moderns insist particularly that
the objection to pari-mutuel betting
which holds that it impoverishes any
community into which it is introduced
is without validity in New York, es-
peclally as to tracks situated within easv
distance of New York City. They point
to the way the city absorbed the Ameri-
can Legion convention last year and
absorbed the Worlds Fair this year as
though both were just ordinary events.
A little thing like pari-mutuel betting.
they insist, won't even produce another
ripple in city of the proportions of
New York. The city will take 1t in its
stride, and If million or more people
60 to the races than used to 60, why
there are always million or so extra
tourists and travellers in New York in
the open season.
Those who decline to foresee New
York going race-mad just because one
system OF wagering has been substituted
for another, maintain also that it is in
conceivable that race attendance should
treble or quadruple when the mutuels
arrive. for the simple reason that there
is no such horde Of people who can be
free six afternoons q week. Most people.
after all, have to work to live and
business is organized in New York on
basis Of practically everybody working
all day except on half Of Saturdays.
Vote on Amendment Cited.
The moderns insist, above all, that the
vote on the amendment on election day
shows the feeling of the people at large.
1t was about to In the major cities
and to ! in those upstate counties
which had been expected to go against
1t. There was absolutely no organized
vote-getting effort behind the amend
ment. Nor was there Illumination against
1t from pulpits or opposition Of conse-
quence from the press. Most newspapers,
on the day after the amendments pas
sage, spoke well Of 1t as an experiment
well worth trying since people will bet
in any case and the law may as well
face facts"
Meantime, the most interested body In