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LOCKE BILL BECOMES LAW PASSES LOUISIANA SENATE BY CLOSE VOTE AND AWAITS GOVERNORS APPROVAL Features Attending Its Progress Through the Legis ¬ lature Its Text and Arguments Made for and Against It Baton Rouge La Tune 23 Discussion being ex ¬ hausted the Locke antitrack betting bill was finally brought to a vote In the senate at three oclock this afternoon and was passed by the close shave of twentyone to nineteen It now goes to the governor and there Is little or no reason to doubt that it will promptly be signed by him himThe The Locke bill which has now become a law of the State of Louisiana was introduced early in the present session of the legislature and advanced in the regular course of legislative procedure in the house until it readied the final stage and was passed by a large majority in fact practically without opposition This was because by common consent the decisive action was set to take place in the senate the fight taking the same course in Louisiana that was followed in New York In the meantime Senator Cordlll had introduced in the seriate Tune 2 an opposing bill providing for a state racing commission with iwnvers akin to those vested in the Kentucky State Racing Commission The two opposition measures were brought to an Issue before the senate judiciary committee June 35 and after much argument in which the partisans of both measures presented their views the com ¬ mittee voted as follows followsFor For the Locke 1111 T C Barret Caddo Parish Henry L Favrot Sixth District Orleans J Uush VVimberly Bienvllle Iarish Robert OConnor Sev ¬ enth District Orleans It II Oglesby Wlnn Iarish Charles Louque Third District Orleans W H Ieterman Marksvillc Avoyelles Parish J W Elder Farmerville Union Parish Total S SAgainst Against Locke bill and in favor of the Cordill bill 7 V Guillotte Fourth District Orleans John D Shaffer Terrebonue A Kent Amacker Lake Providence John Marks Napoleonville Walter Gleason Second District Orleans T W Perrin Catahoula Parish E M Stafford Sixth District Orleans Total 7 7Absent Absent Richard McCulloh Ascension Parish R H Odom Bastrop Morehouse Parish ParishThe The exact language of the body of the bill thus favored without its enacting and other formal clauses is as follows followsThat That any person who either as agent owner officer or employe shall lit any room hall house or any Inclosure or upon any track path road or course whether within or without an Inelosnre in this state engage in encouraging promoting aiding or assisting In the operation of a betting book or French niutuel pooling device upon any kind of horse race or races or in selling auction jvools upon any horse race which are hereby declared to be gam Ming or shall by any other device encourage pro ¬ mote aid or assist any person or persons to bet or wager upon a horse race or races run or trotted or paced within this state or elsewhere shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall IM fined not less than 100 nor more than 00 and Imprisoned for a period of not less than sis nor more than twelve months monthsAll All classes of people took part in the discussion before the judiciary committee and were given a patient hearing Judge Sauuders of the United States Circuit Court was a determined advocate of the Locke bill and a bitter and unfair opponent of the race tracks In the line of his arguments he said saidWe We aro met by the horse racing people with the declaration that if you stop gambling on horse racing you prohibit horse racing There Is nothing stronger to be said In favor of the Locke bill than this position These men admit that racing should not continue as it now exists Senator Cordill hopes to reform the horse racing by the very men who have brought it to what It is Tills sport is so manly that even according to the Cordill bill a yoijng boy cannot take part in it We are here to contest what is admitted by all allThese These race horse men say that if we allow them to continue they will try to reform it The legis ¬ lature should not do what the race track people say but what the constitution requires The con ¬ stitution says that gambling is a vice and should be suppressed suppressedThe The Locke bill does not prohibit individual bet ¬ ting because no person who has sense enough to etay out of the insane asylum would place an in ¬ dividual bet on horses Are you going to protect people who have brought racing to such a state Are you going to encourage this hotbed of gam ¬ bling You cannot refuse to abolish this gambling because there are some people who make a living out of race track gambling These races bring three or four thousand people to New Orleans They are thirsty people and they patronize the sa ¬ loon and they take good rooms and eat a lot and the people interested in hotels are opposed to the abol ¬ ishment of the horse racing I want to see these people make money but I do not want them to make money at the expense of the morals of the city of New Orleans There never was an Insti ¬ tution In which the state of Louisiana had less teterest The horses the riders and the people Coatiaued on second page LOCKE BILL BECOMES LAW Continued from first page come from other states statesv v You have secured your Information from other persons asked Mr Gleason GleasonI I got much of my knowledge from the race track cpnvlctlons in my court The Locke bill goes as far as I think it is expedient to go at this time Among others favoring the Cordill commission measure Major G II Tcrriberry said the Locke bill does not prohibit individual betting it does not prevent Sunday races It is full of holes which would make it ineffective On the other hand the Cordill commission bill provides drastic regula tiona It prohibits Sunday racing it confines the npnson to certain limitations The bill prohibits operation of hooks Its object is to preserve good racing as a winter attraction for New Orleans which is rapidly becoming the winter capjtal of America would not stand up here and advocate this naeasurj unless I was convinced that racing can be regulated I believe individual betting was elimi ¬ nated from the Locke bill because it was believed necessary In order to try to carry the bill through eald Mr Terribcrry TerribcrryThe The parilnutuel system of betting Is the fairest known vand It could be adopted This Commission Is entitled to a trial It would be subservient to the governor removable at his discretion The effect of the Locke bill said Mr Terri berry will be to put race tracks out of business In New Orleans but allow thefci everywhere else In the state statefotrr fotrr T F Cunningham representing business In ¬ terests asked that the committee handle winter rac jjuj carefujlr and thoughtfully from the standpoint of an attraction for New Orleans during the winter season The city is bidding for tourists and winter visitors and it must have attractions to entertain these people peopleHe He said he had friends from New Haven Conn and from Chicago who spent several weeks in New Orleans every winter The races helped to hold them themBen Ben Casanas president of the Merchants Coffep Company said his Interest was in selling goods and his books showed that business was much better during the racing season He proved a strong wit ¬ ness for regulation and on crossexamination more than held his own ownHonorable Honorable J J Frawley councilman spoke of Now Orleans as a winter resort and of the money invested in hotels and restaurants restaurantsDont Dont wipe out an industry that has been built up during the last few years argued Mr Frawley FrawleyMr Mr Justin F Dcnechaud proprietor of the New Denechaud Hotel said lie was not Interested In any race track nnd was not a player of the races racesAll All business has changed rules and regulations hi recent years The raco tracks should be regulated He believed people would uc better protected under the Cordill bill than by the Locke bill billRegulate Regulate not abolish the tracks said lie People hlive died from eating ice cream in New Orleans but that was no cause for abolishing it The board of health is regulating Its production and sales Racing to my mind is the strongest card New Orleans has for winter tourists If the races are abolished 1 believe the hotel business ns now developed would be a losing proposition Tlirc thousand people come to the Denechaud during the season and twentyfive pcr cent are attracted by the racing features featuresThe The foregoing is sufficient to show thu average of the arguments advanced by the opposing Inter ¬ ests One thing noticeable was that it was agreed by both sides that the Locke bill permits individual betting and on some construction of that matter a loophole is left for racing at New Orleans next win ¬ ter Just what the limitations of Individual bet ¬ ting may be Is jirobably a matter that will havo to be thrashed out in the courts courtsIn In the senate the matter was fought out deter ¬ minedly along the game lines as before the commit ¬ tee Of the progress of the measure since the favorable report of its committee to the senate Dally Racing Form has kept its readers fully ad ¬ vised The enactment of the law is regrettable but in view of the course of racing affairs at New Orleans within the last three or four years is no matter for great surprise
