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iNEW YORK RiCING SAYED A TIE VOTE DEFEATS THE HARTAGNEW BILLS IN THE SENATE Action Not Final but Held to Be Decisive So Far Faras as the Present Legislature Is Concerned Great Rejoicing General New York April S The antiracing bills were defeated in the senate at Albany today by a vote of twentyfive to twentyfive twentyfiveIt It was necessary for their passage that twentysix senators shouid vote for them This vote was on the amendment to the penal code and practically settles the status of the several bills Introduced in the legislature against racing and betting The re ¬ sult is the strongest possible setback to Governor lughes who has moved heaven and earth for the past several months to force the passage of the bills There is talk of the governors calling a special session but the entire Republican party will rise up to protest against it and there is little fear ii the minds of racing men that the result will ever be changed changedIt It was the hottest and closest fight over an im K rtant legislative matter that has been seen at Albany in many years Last night no one could predict the result although there has been a quiet feeling of confidence among the opponents of the bill hat racing would just about pull through That is all it did but it is enough and the victory of the urf after such a tremendous fight and the unpre ¬ cedented actions of Governor Hughes in attempting to coerce senators and assemblymen would appear o give racing a strong lease of life and public favor for many years to come The victory is a triumph for personal liberty and of untold Impor ¬ tance to the thoroughbred breeders all over the coun ry The passage of the bills meant ruin to the Kentucky fanners and breeders and a tremendous depreciation in value of thoroughbreds thoroughbredsAt At the morning session when the bill was brought up Senator Grady spoke against it and adjournment was had until three oclock this afternoon The absence of Senator Fancher who favored the bill was called a kidnapping and there was great excite ¬ ment among the antis Fancher was found and voted at the afternoon session but this did not save the bill billOn On the final count Senator Cassidy who voted against the September 1 amendment went with the racing forces This was taken to mean the defeat of Agnew and the governor and the racing crowd became jubilant It was a scene of tremendous ex ¬ citement while the roll call went on Cobb Cordts Davis Dunn Fancher Foelker Fuller and Gates voted for the bill Cohalan Cullen Emerson and Frawley voted no Then Gilchrist who was against the bills explained his vote in a speech The senate was in no humor for speechmaking The roll tlie roll call that was all of interest and monotonous reading went on But unless some most unlikely shift came the bills were defeated by the vote of Cassidy of Schuyler And so it proved with the end of the alphabet and Wilcox reached The turf had won against the governor of the state the reformers fanatics and the poolrooms There was in fact never any sentiment but manufactured sentiment in favor of the bills This and a dispo ¬ sition to aid Hughes in his political ambitions made the light hard for racng racngSenator Senator John Raines is being hold responsible for the defeat of the bills by Agnew and his followers but the leader will not stand for the arraignment Raines in a formal statement said I never said I would hold myself responsible for the passage of the bills but I did say I would be responsible for making the bill a special order for today todayI I would be glad to be responsible for their pas ¬ sage if I could but no senator can be held respons ¬ ible for the vote of any other senator So I repudi ¬ ate the statement attributed to me in the press pressBut But turfmen do not care who Is responsible they have won Senators Grady and McCarren are the heroes of the hour and their plucky fight against odds for weeks and weeks is justly praised to the skies skiesHere Here in New York horsemen awaited the result with hope though all knew it was a very close thing The result of the roll call was a great re lief and there will be much celebrating in the racing camps tonight tonightThere There Is just one small fly in the ointment but horsemen will not consider it seriously in the hour of victory A motion to hare the vote reconsidered and lie on the table was carried by the lieutenant governors vote and this makes a possibility of the bill being brought up again later in the session But the defeat of the bill is considered final as far as this legislature 13 concerned further hearings or special sessions notwithstanding
