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TROUBLE AT HOT SPRINGS. OAKLAWN MEETING WILL OPEN MON* DAY, BUT IN UNCERTAINTY. County Judqe Sumpter Is Unrelenting— Failure to Divide Dates at the Bottom of It All. Hot Springs. Ark.. February 2. — Everything is In readiness for racing at Oaklawn and the meeting will be opened Monday as announced, but whether it will continue for the scheduled sixty days is a subject ou which a prediction had best not tie ventured. There is trouble here and lots of it. The situation in the legislature at Little Rock, which seemed most grave a week ago, is now the least of the obstacles in the path of the Hot Springs Jockey Club. The general public, which includes the business interests, is not opposed to racing or to betting. The public wants racing and betting, but many of them do not want it all at one track. Therein lies the basis of the row. The politicians have taken a hand and, without meaning to impugn the motives, acts or orders of Judge Sumpter, there is a well founded belief that had there been a division of the dates with Essex Park the County Judse would probably not have Instructed constable Smith to make preparations to suppress betting at Oaklawn Monday. It is but another illustration ot tiie all-or nothing policy of the boss gamblers that has killed every good game they have had; the same policy that has done more to bring racing into disfavor in certain localities than the fanatical maniacs, commonly designated as reformers, could have accomplished in ages. The track is drying fast from its recent drenching and when the horses are called to the post for the opening race it will be as fast as ever. Over 800 horses are quartered at the track and vicinity anil many more would have been here onlv for the lack of stable rasas. There are plenty of riders, but no top tiotehers. D. Austin. Aubuchon. G. Swain, J. J. Walsh. C. Schilling, Cherry and Beauchamp are considered the liest. Beauchamp, who has been riding abroad the past three seasons, got in this morning from Cincinnati. He can scale at 103 pounds and will probably be much in demand. The most prominent stables here are those of T. I". Hayes. J. S. Hawkins, J. C. Milam, H. B. Baker. Henry McDaniel, Chinn and Forsythe. P. T. China and C. K. Mahone. Many horsemen are of the impression that the two-year-olds here are the lK-st collection ever gotten together in the west, and predict that there will be many sensational performers iu the lot.
