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THE TROUBLE WITH LATONIA LATONIAThe The controllers of the Latonia Jockey Club have ordered a return to the liookmaking system of bet ¬ ting The reason assigned is that the present meet ¬ ing at Latonia is being conducted at a loss It is no more than the truth to say that it deserves to bo a losing meeting The people in control are de ¬ void of sagacity and sand They have not sagacity enough to know that the people on whom they must rely for patronage are not to be hoodwinked into paying high prices to view a cheap show They have not sand enough to put up sufficient money to attract good horses and thereby excite Uie curi ¬ osity and interest of the people It Is their con ¬ stant aim to squeeze each dollar that come into their possession until it fairly shrieks Take in all possible and pay out nothing that can be retained is the blind and sordid policy that keeps prosperity aAvsiy from the Latonia race track It is a policy that never has won in amusements and never will willIn In the present status1 of the sport Latouia should be the very citadel of Western racing The track has a great contiguous population of which a nor ¬ mal proportion Is fond of openair diversion and ready to pay for it But it its the real thing It wants and not an Inferior makebelieve substitute The people of Cincinnati Covlngton Newport arid other places within supporting distance do rot differ materially from the people of Chicago St Louis San Fnuicisco or New York There is no doubt In the world that given the right sort of induce mentis they would award the Latonia track a meas ¬ ure of support that would enrich its stockholders But what can be expected of a meeting for which only four cheap stake races are provided In the course of twelve days of racing How can any set of men be so devoid of sense as to imagine that any but the tnost hardened habitues of the track could be attracted by the dull monotony of the dally grist of cheap purses contested for by cheap selling plat ¬ ers Under such circumstances it is no wonder that letting and not racing is the outstanding fea ¬ ture of the Latonia meeting and wwhen that is the attendanceAs case prosperity is rarely in attendance As a contrast Toronto with not onefourth of the territorially tributary population elves several not merely one stake races dally The result Is constant and lively interest and bushels of money flowing in To bring throngs through the track gate they give money enough there to pro ¬ vide attractions the people dteslre to see The same line of action at Latonia would have produced the same results The unsportsmanlike squawk about losing money and the undignified order to return to the old order of things at Latonia could hav been easily avoided and is more than regrettable It is another blow to racing dealt by the kind of men who have murdered racing everywhere In the middle west except Ja Kentucky They will murder It there in time unless curbed The Kentucky States Racing Commission will be derelict I its 4tT u if OM not Merrew lece A
