Evening star., 1940-02-29

LtC ptkcL OIL VI CCCCH 4CufOS Ou6
each time haze encountered sub
stantial opposition. A similar
bill reached the floor OF the Sen
ate on one occasion, but 1D1s side
tracked Without action.
BY JOHN w. THOMPSON, JR.
Representatives of District labor
and churches clashed today as hear
ings opened at the Capitol on the bill
to legalize horse racing and pari-
mutuel betting here.
William c. Murphy, representing
the Central Labor Union, voiced
strong support of the measure,
which he said he helped prepare,
and asserted the union was unani-
mously in favor of it.
He told Senator Reynolds of North
Carolina, chairman Of the Senate
subcommittee and sponsor of the
bill. the measure would give year.
round employment to some 400 men
and net the District between $780,
600 and 100000 annual revenue.
Vigorous opposition. however,
came from Wilbur LaRoe. jr.. rep
resenting the Washington Fedora
ton of Churches. Mr.. LaRoe came
from a House hearing on the Dis
trict liquor situation to tell Senator
Reynolds the racing measure would
flood the District with an undesir-
able element.
puhIic JntereSt nanied
In addition, Mr.. LaRoe charged
there was no public interest in the
racetrack proposal, asserting the
issue was raised purely by private
interests.
'"This bill, like the flowers that
bloom In the spring, comes up every
year" Mr. LaRoe declared, "and
every year the same people are here
in support of It,"
Questioned by Mr.. LaRoe as to
whether he had any financial in
terest in the site in Benning gen.
orally considered as the location for
the proposed racetrack, MIR. Murphy
said he had none, and offered no
objection to inclusion in the record
of the names of the owners of the
property.
While Mr.. Murphy foresaw the
day when a 100000 Congressional
Handicap race would be run in the
District, Mr.. La Roe urged against
the Capital becoming a mecca for
the gambling fraternity"
Another witness, George H. Brown
OF the Columbia Heights Citizens
Association. spoke in support of the
bill, pointing to the large number
of District people who daily patron
ize nearby tracks. This, together
with the large amount of space de-
voted by the local press to racing
news, he argued, was sufficient evi-
dence of the interest of the local
community in racing.
Tucker Questions Murphy.
Asked by Evan H. Tucker, veteran
Northeast civic leader, whether he
would feel the same way if the track
were to be located in Columbia
Heights, Mr.. Brown emphatically
replied that he would.
Mr.. Murphy as first witness in
sisted that no undesirable people
would be attracted to the District
If a race track were opened, and
cited police reports in the years
Immediately preceding abandon
ment of racing in 1908, to show that
no crime waves were recorded. He
said that as far as he could find
out there had been no public hear
ing at the time that racing was
abandoned.
He further asserted that the set
ting up Of race track would be
profitable to other Washington
business organizations such as
hotels, restaurants and instruments
Of transportation
Have you any estimates as to
Just what additional revenue of this
sort could be expected?" Senator
Reynolds asked.
Mr.. Murphy said he thought this
would be very difficult to estimate.
The labor union spokesman told
Senator Reynolds there was no op-
position from Maryland to the bill,
but later, in taking up individual
sections of the measure, indicated
that the nearby State was opposed
to a racing season of more than 54
days. This figure is written into
the bill as maximum.
Both Mr.. Murphy and Senator
Reynolds agreed that from the
standpoint of revenue value to the
District there should be no such
maximum number of days specified.
Members of the subcommittee in
addition to Senator Reynolds, are
Senator Bridges of New Hampshire
and Senator Overton of Louisiana
The bill would establish a racing
board for the District and the
licensing Of horse racing with the
pari-mutuel system of betting.