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, 1 i , 1 ■ ■ i : 1 1 " ■ s _ i "BOOKMAKERS ARE NOT NECESSARY." John E. Madden Urqes Track Manaqers in ! Tennessee to Go On with Meetinqs. John F. Madden, who as the owner aud trainer of ■cores of excellent racehorses in llie past tell years and the proprietor of Hamburg Place at Lexington, Ky.. is one of the most widely known men of the turf, says tiiat the passage of the FOUSt bill in Tennessee and the agitation against bookmakers and betting in other sections is taken too seriously. He says that bookmakers are not necessary to the life of racing or to the success of the meetings and he believes that the passage of such a law as that which has just been signed by ihe Governor "f Tennessee will prove a blessing in disguise. in an open letter to the managers and OWneiS of Tennessee racetracks Mr. Madden says: It, -member that this law recently passed dix s not make conteatf between horses and tile prizes therefore Illegal, tmt is Biased at tbe bookmaker. No law has ever been or ever will be framed to den a man the right lo say to his fellow-man: "I bet you." ami this privilege is enjoyed by every one Unless he loses. The loss of the revenue derived from tiie bookmakers will, of course, be felt, but the demands on bookmakers in the west nave been extortionate, resulting ii unduly huge profits to the track owners, and it these owners cm only raaten themselves with a moderate profit I believe the gate money will furnish it. Before the existence of the bookmaker the old daj "smarter races" were largely attended and thousands of dollars Changed hands. Why should not similar conditions obtain today 1 lake, for laatance, tbe Kentucky Derby or the Latonia Derby, where there is no bar to bet ling. If tiie bookmakers were to go on a strike is it to be supposed tiiat the attendance would he lessened thereby 1 No. Vmi would hear all around you the echo of •1 bet you." and the "welchera" would be few. The enormous attendance at the Bounty fairs in slates where no betting is permitted gws to prove the attractiveness of racing, either running or trotting, io the general public. The love of racing, where properly conducted, has of kite years taken too deep a hold on Ihe affections • i i lie American people to be eliminated from its lisl of outdoor pastimes. If Ihe people of Tennessee, instead of losing heart, would go on with their contemplated meetings, disregarding llie enforced absence of llie baakniakcr. they will iind. l predict, the financial results not so disastrous as they imagine. Private wagers can always be made, ami at a meeting held last year under these conditions brought to the association the i!n si successful results of its career. Tiie greater pari ot betting is .lone on tiie "nod." II is as necessary Io maintain ones credit on the racetrack as II is in oilier lines of business, and i horseman disregarding his obligations would smui mid himself in ill favor with ihe association and run the risk of having his entries rejected. If suggestion to you. managers and owners of Tennessee racetracks, is to convert your betting sheds Into saddling paddocks, with a balcony to give the fair sex an opportunity to view llie thorough- bled as he is saddled for his ice. and you will hear Ihe words "1 bel mil" on all sides; and. further. 1 venture lo say, thai the Bate receipts will surpass those lal.i n when the bookmakers held sway Instead ,.i the tboroujrhbred. To tlosc bitterly opposed to betting on homes, lei them r imber it is after ail extremely difficult lo define what is and what is not gambling. Take for instance insurance. What is it but a gamble on a house burning down, a life aided or a ship sinking. And pet there are few who are not todaj carrying life insurance, the rankest kind of a bet. on the length oi their days, h is safe to say that Ihe lawmakers of Tennessee, who passe, | the ami betting bill, indulge in this form of speculation. in mosi Instances the horse is backed on a definite knowledge of bis ability to iiorfoim the task set before him. under certain weight, condition of tr.uk. etc. and tiie risk is nothing like what those on the outside Imagine it to be. Everything can In- overdone, and where this has been tlic case in racing it should be righted, but the 1 ■•rand sport should not lie wiped mil of existence for the errors of the few. .1. F. KADDBN. Dally Baring Form invites letters on this subject I In in all thinking men of the turf. Since writing the letter printed above, Mr. Mad- ilen has suggested that Ihe bleeders of thoroughbreds in Kentucky and Tennessee subscribe to a , . fund sufficient to guarantee the New Memphis . Jockey Club and the Tennessee I.reeders Association against any losses they may incur if they will 1 give meetings ■*** spring without the presence of p bookmakers.
