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LOCAL BETTING AND RACING. An excellent . ilizeti. an ollieer of Oa« of our vari ons societies tor the Reformation oi the Morals of our .Neighbors, is qaoted as saying by way of com Basal on the Broadage substitate for the Ton hill: •It simply means that racing ran be held legally an place iii Illinois, provided it is inside a fence ami is given by some organisation." This is some what amu-iiig in view of the fad thai racing is now ;i lawful as la selling sugar or alt. If the men owning racetracks in the vieinity oi Chicago choose to announce and carry on racing, there la no law of the State of Illinois forbidding, it is belting on racing, or betting on anything for that matter, that is forbidden by law. a score ot veai- ; _o great poolrooms crowned to their limit daily, were numerous In Chicago. Under the law ot issT poolrooms were cloned for some years. Thai law provided severe penalties elsewhere, bat legaUaed betting on racetracks oa races taking place within the track cnelonorc. la the Bwlgert case, the Supreme Court held this exception in favor of the tracks to be unconstitutional. Since then local belling on radag taking plare in Chicago or iianwh* in. on on other things, has been by tolerance, by evasjon. or m secret defiance of law At present betting on racing is In secret, but it exists and as long as human nature Is as it now is. there uill label ting. If not on racing, on something oKc, an thing that present- good grounds for diversity of o|iin It is this certainty that is overlooked by ■aforasers who seek by law to suppress others who happen to hold opinion- on semi moral questions iii opposition to their own. The Bnadage sahatitate ■enafbly teeogaiaei the fact that men will bet an racing as long a- racing Mints and sought t« restrict Mich betting to racetracks, la the harry of the closing days ,i .t ban session, it was manifest the measure had scant chance Of pas-age. but it is a pity that this i- -o. Racing Is a grand sport greatly lavnued In Chicago and should be fostered and protected here as it is in New York. There is oae phase of this matter d Hilling set ions attention sad thai is the baatuees side. Chicago never had a feature that advertised it more ezteualvelt or re effectually than did late American Derby. In this countrj and abroad and the destruction of thi- great race and ot racing at Washington Park b.v tarter II. Harrison *as s tremendous blow to hi. igo merchants, hotel men ami trades- llien generally. It is well within bounds to Bay that various local line- of business have already suffered to tin extent oi more than 810,0*0,000 through the enforced aliaintoninent of racfcag over Chicago tracks. As it i- now thousands of pleasure Bankers and money -ponders go to New York eoh year because of the high «*•«■ Ildodod racing there, who would make their summer home la Chicago tut of racing locally. tor the pre-eiii sense leas sappilSsaM The wort In gentlemen who sre laboring lor the adanceineut. beaut ilication am! wide advetli-c ment of Chicago, can not do better than to give II. is matter serious aud unprejudiced consideration.
