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A LEGALIZING BILL. The House of Representatives of the Illinois Legislature, has passed to third reading a bill the text of which is as follows: "That for the purpose of encouraging the raising, improving, breeding, training and exhibiting of horses it shall not be illegal for any and all individuals owning or operating fair grounds and racetracks, or any and all corporations now or hereafter incorporated under the laws of the state of Illinois owning or operating fair grounds or racetracks, whose charters therein contain the provision that the object, or one of the objects, of such corporations is to encourage, by pro viding the proper facilities therefor, the raising, training, breeding, or exhibition of horses within the actual enclosure of the grounds, during the time for any exhibition or meeting, to permit the making of wagers upon the result of any and all running and trotting races and trials of speed and contests between horses that may be had upon such grounds, and it shall be lawful during the time of any such exhibition or meeting to make and permit the making of wagers within such enclosures upon the result of any and all running and trotting races and trials of speed and contests between horses that may be had upon any such grounds. "Provided, however, that no wagers shall be permitted or shall be made except at such exhibition or meetings held between the 1st day of May and the 1st day of November of any year, and between the hours of 1 oclock p. m. and 6:30 oclock p. m. of any day during such exhibitions or meetings." The fate of this measure is problematical, but its passage would be hailed with delight by thousands in Chicago. So far as mere racing is concerned, it may be said that it is as lawful as selling merchandise, but betting on racing, or anything else, for that matter, is not lawful. The plain purpose of this bill is to legalize -wagering on races within certain prescribed hours. In view of conditions existent here today it should be passed, but the road through the house, the senate and gubernatorial approval, is rocky. The friends of racing will watch its progress with anxiety and a measure of hopefulness. It is a common sense measure, and it should at least be passed on to the test of the courts, that would sooner or later be called on to pass judgment on its provisions.
