Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-19
La Guardia'
Edic+s Stir
PegIer's Ire
But This Is No Defense
Of Bookies' Doines \
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

OF DOOkles OOlnSS
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
EST the ensuing be mis-
. - represented as a defense OF
the horse-room racket, l will
say that more than a year be-
fore the late Moe Annenberg
was indicted for his crimes in
that connection. l asked Henry
Morgenthau whether he could
officially release any Informal
ton which would be helpful in
a single-handed attempt at an
expose.
Mr.. Morgenthau said his own
men were just then starting
their own investigation and
asked me to lay off, which / did
for year.
then checked at the treas
ury and was told that the case
was about to go 10 the grand
jury.
The indictments followed,
and, after futile bargaining,
Annenberg was convicted, heav-
lily fined and sent TO prison.
On another occasion, these
dispatches gave general de-
scription of the horse bourse
which ran openly and lawlessly
under the political protection OF
the corrupt local chapter of the
New Deal party in Jersey City.
and the alarm was such that
the betrse- WIS closed for three
days.
WITH these preliminaries.
W here we go:
Mayor LaGuardia has recently
issued three bits Of advice.
. He invited the children 10
squeal 10 him if their fathers
lost money betting on the horses
with bookmakers.
. He conjured group of young
New York policemen TO beat up
on sight any one who. in the
judgment of the individual cop,
seemed TO be a tinhorn gambler.
And he urged individuals who
lost horse bets 10 bookmakerS
to.-start proceedings 10 recover
their money.
a GUARDIA later denied
II that he had invited the
kids 10 become little squealers,
after the manner of Russian and
-Nazi kids, but reference to the
text of his remarks disproved
the denial.
He has stood pat on his adj
vice 10 the cops TO beat up tim
horns and on the advice 10 the
clients offtinhorns 10 welsh
The mayor would know more
than ] do about the extent OF
horse betting. because i do not
at the moment know whom 10
phone TO make a bet.
A couple Of years ago l
noticed a horse named West
brooke in the entries. and
thought / would bet a few dol
lars cross.
Knowing a couple of friends
who bet habitually. | phoned
them. but both were out OF
town.
So / let it go, and the goat
paid S54
But a man must be a man,
and If he isn't man enough 10 re-
SiSt the temptation TO bet be-
yond his means, and man enough
10 take care Of his familys
needs before he bets. then the
crime Is on him, not on the
bookmaker.
The betting habit is not conn
parable 10 addictions 10 dope,
liquor and cigsrets.
I a GUARDIA did not qualifyV
~ his advice 10 the cops 10 beat
up tinhornS on sight. but most
policemen. young and old, have
too much sense 10 do so any
way
But when q mayor gives that
order il goes as il lies and means
that they have the mayors per- d,
mission to beat up any one he
doesn't like.
Another mayor would be as
well justified to order his police
10 beat up any one who looked
like Communist, much more
dangerous breed than the tim
horn. and might plausibly say
that LaGuardia, by that time re-
turned TO private life, looked
like a Communist 10 him.
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