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GOVERNOR REFUSES TO INTERFERE. Chief Executive of Oklahoma Declines to Suppress Betting at Instance of Disappointed Promoter. Oklahoma City. Okla., July 7. — Gov. Lee Cruce of Oklahoma has declared that he will not interfere with betting on horse racing and the various racing associations in the state will continue without being molested. The governors emphatic statement was: "There is no Oklahoma statute that defines betting on horse racing, baseball and such like, as gambling, and until tbe legislature passes a law defining the practice of betting on horse races as gambling I do not intend to interfere." The attention of the chief executive was called to the race track betting in a letter from B. F. Ifer. promoter of the Morrls-Flynn fight, scheduled to take place 011 July 4. at Tulsa, which the governor interdicted. By request, the governor received an opinion from ihe attorney -general, in regard to the law on betting on horse races. The attorney-general de-dared tbe practice is a nuisance. "I wish to state right here and now." continued the governor, * that race track gambling is not defined by any statute in this state. During the last s. ssion of the state Legislature Senator Thompson, of 1. ills Valley, introduced a bill defining gambling on races. This bill was defeated. The attorney -general said in bis opinion that race horse betting is a nuisance. Even if it is a nuisance according to the law I hardly think I would interfere. If the governor of this state should give attention to every nui-K nee he would not have any time to devote to any other work of bis office." The Oklahoma gambling law specifically enumerates the games which are to be regarded as gambling. The Criminal Court of Appeals has decided in a turf exchange case from El Reno that the operation of an establishment of that sort was not in violation of the gambling law.
