Evening star., 1950-05-03
Press Spokesman Hit
Racing News Ban as
Step 10 Other Curbs
Continued From First Page.)

AOCOcO ana EOOle SplLZ OSad
chey. A third partner, Morri
"Snag" Klein, it was explained,
IN Leavenworth Penitentiary an
therefore not available.
Meanwhile, Republicans an
Democrats failed to- agree on
time to vote in the Senate o
the Kefauver resolution for a NOR
comprehensive crime investigatio
by a special five-man committe'
Although the Kefauyer resolu
tion came before the Senate whe
1t met at IL am, Senator Con
nally, Democrat, of Texas, at
o'clock demanded a return to tn
regular order of business.
Frank Starzel. general manage
of the Associated Press, said h
believed legislation which restrict
the transmission Of race informa
ton would be dangerous legisla
ton"
Mr.. Starzel said it "was wron
in principles to prohibit trans
mission of news that is legal a
its point of origin"
Cites Weather Information.
When Chairman MCFARLAND
asked how Mr. StarZel felt abou
delaying race news until it wa!
no longer betting information, Mr.
StarZel replied:
If you make a beginning en-
forcing the delay in transmission
of legitimate news. where are you
going to stop? If you start or
racing information you would be
pursuing a course from which il
is difficult to turn back"
Mr.. Starzel said that under
terms Of the bill the transmission
Of weather information might be
be considered illegal if the Asso-
ciated Press we're to transmit q
report OF rain on Long Island or
day when a mudder was favored
at a Long Island race track.
Elmer Davis. president of thu
Radio Correspondents Association
of Washington, protested that The
bill discriminates against radio
because it would require a one.
hour delay.
Called Wrong Approach.
Mr.. Davis warned that once the
principle is established that tht
transmission of certain kinds 0.
news may be prohibited or delayed
because evil men may use it fol-
an evil purpose, you could pro-
hibit the transmission of any 9th.
er kind Of news"
Arguing that the bill is the
wrong way to attack interstate
gambling, Mr.. Davis told the sub
committee you are hitting not al
the Objectionable act but at the
man who reports the act"
William B. Goode, Interna tional
News Service business manager,
told the committee it would be
most unfortunate" if legislation
were passed that would have the
effect of trampling on the free
dom of the press to transmit news
as fast as possible.
Calls Bookies Sole Customers.
The Missouri attorney general
linked the transmission of racing
news to gangSter control of
bookies. He traced the history
OF race news distributing outlets
in st. Louis and Kansas City. told
the committee that one Kansas
City race news outlet had been
taken over by gangsters in 1916
at the point of a gum" and de-
scribed the efforts made by his
Office to force these services out of
business.
Mr.. Taylor insisted that bookies
were the only customers of the
race news distributing companies
and declared that bookies cannot
operate without getting rapid re-
suits from the track.
When Senator Kefauver finally
got unanimous consent late YES
terday to bring his crime -inves-
tlgation proposal to the floor,
Senator KEN said he wanted to
talk today about ECA and Sena-
tor Donnell announced his inten-
ton to speak on crime.
Lucas Issues Warnings.
At that point. Senator Lucas
warned:
Whoever delays this resolution
is going to have to accept the re.
sponsibility for it."
Senator KEN, it developed. wa.
also concerned about crime. HI
said he wanted Senator Kefauvel
to investigate the 1947 ballo
thefts in Kansas City. When Sen.
stor Kefauver said his resolution
was for an investigation of inter.
state crime, Senator KEN said h,
would offer an amendment TO-DAY
to include the Kansas City ballo
theft in the investigation.
Despite frequent interruptions
Senator Kefauver managed to out
line his ideas for the investigation
briefly. He said 10 cities hat
asked him to make investigation
Of their crime but he was afrait
some would be disappointed.
Says Aim Is Not Smear"
He emphasized that the purpos
of the investigation is neither tt
smear" innocent people or white
wash" guilty ones and he urget
the Senators to keep politics ou
of it.
Under Senator Kefauver'
amended resolution, a five-mal
committee drawn from the mem
bership of the Judiciary and Com
merce Committees would make tn,
investigation and report it's find
ings by next February 28. He pro
poses employment of $17,500-a
year chief counsel and a $12,500
a-year assistant counsel.
Senator Mcfarland has been in
sisting he is holding hearings o.