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PLANS FOR NEW ORLEANS RACING. Of tlie plan to revive racing in New Orleans the coming winter, the Picayune of that city says: "Horse racing is assured for New Orleans this coming winter and the sjiort of kings will be enjoyed over the City Park race track for thirty days, unless the plans of the Merchants Jockey Club, under whose auspices the meeting will be conducted, go astray. "there has been talk of a revival of racing here ever since the Locke law, which put a quietus on the snort, became effective shortly after the meeting of the General Assembly two years ago. Several attempts were made, ooe of them with- betting, which ended in charges being made against W. W. hyles. B. M. Sheffield and Ilacide Frigerio. They ail paid the state fines, being found guilty, but through the clemency of the governor and Board of Pardons, were saved the humiliation of serving prison sentences. "Another attempt was made to race over the half-mile track of the Louisiana Bacing and Driving Club, where Sunday matinee harness races are held now, but because of the lack of public patronage and the fact that no hooks could lie run, the scheme was abandoned. "Since then several moves have been made to restore racing to its old-time standing in the "Queen City of the South. the last attempt being a plan to petition the Legislature for tlie repealing of Lie Locke law and the restoration of racing. This was lost before ever getting to the General Assembly. "The merchants of the city and others who are very much interested in horse racing then started about to find a way to furnish the s|iort to the people here this winter. About forty days ago Louis 1". I.arthe. Rudolph Levy and John Crnso, who are well known in the sporting world, started circulating a petition asking the support of the merchants for a race inciting of thirty days over the track of the New Orleans Jockey Club, or City Dark race track. Their petition met with great favor and nearly everyone of 140 merchants spoken 10 subscribed amounts all the way from 00 to ,000 for the meeting. "The movers in the scheme intend to organize under the name of the Merchants Jockey Club, and it is thought that a prominent Canal street merchant will be the president, with other local merchants as the other officers and board of directors, it is proponed to give a thirty-days meeting ami offer ,200 in purses daily, or 939,000 in all during the entire meeting. "No belting is to be allowed, except individual betting, if the persona who visit the track wish to wage that way. No books, slates or any betting system will be used, so that the Locke law will not be violated in any way by anyone who visits Hie track, even if they wanted to violate the law and visited tlie track for that purpose. "When the jockey club has been formally organised permission will be secured from the Jockey Club at New York to conduct the races under its sanction, and the whole of the 996,000 will be deposited in some bank so that the horsemen who ship here will be guaranteed that the meeting will run thirty days and that the purses will be paid. Five • ■I- six races will be run daily and the purses will average around 9200, more or less, depending on the quality of horses son tending and the distance. Special purses will be given for special races. "It is intended to charge an admission fee at the gate, but none of this money will go towards tlie pui e . merely to pay ton off the employee* of the track and the running expenses. Every one of the offices at the truck will lie tilled by local popple, except that of starter and presiding judge. William Murray will probably officiate at the barrier, while one of the prominent presiding judges of the country has been asked to till that position, but has not as yet given an answer. "In talking about the plans for racing Mr. Bartbe, srfao is ihe leader in the scheme to run tin meeting, said: The racing that I propose to inaugurate here will be ■ boo lately clean. There will be no book-making or gambling features of any kind and there will be 110 subterfuges to endeavor to evade the Locke law. The management will see thai the law is obeyed, both in the letter and in the spirit. • All of the employees of the track will fee local man, except Hie starter and presiding judge, two very responsible positions 011 a race track, and if a .■.iiit.lble man can be secured for presiding judge here he will be taken. I have already opened none Hpondeaee with prominent horse owners all over the country and believe that some will c this way. "It is proposed to open the local meeting on Thank ag fving Day. November 04 and extend the awetiug over Christmas, and perhaps into the now year, and if it proves MCCessfUl maybe eveu longer."
