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GITTINS BILL IS PASSED SENATE AT ALBANY TAKES FAVORABLE ACTION ON RACING RELIEF MEASURE. Bill to Relieve Racing Directors from Criminal Liability Receives 2G Votes and Now Goes to the Assembly for Concurrence j Albany, N. Y., July 19. The Gittins bill to relievo directors of racing associations from criminal liability for gambling carried on at race tracks without their knowledge was reconsidered today and passed the Senate by a vote of 20 to 22. The bill will now go to the Assembly, where its sponsors anticipate little or no opposition. Plans are being considered for the adjournment of the Legislature on Friday. Todays favorable vote followed a period of renewed activity on the part of the friends of racing following the adverse vote taken on the measure last week, when the bill fell six votes short of the twenty-six required to pass it in the Senate. Prosi-dent R. T. Wilson and Secretary-Treasurer Andrew Miller, of the Saratoga Association for the Improvement of the Breed of Horses, and other well-known friends of racing have been bearing the brunt of the campaign for the amendment of the hostile Hughes legislation of last year. Rev. 0. R. Miller, Canon Chase and other professional reformers have been doing their utmost to prevent any aniend-ment of the Hughes measures. New York, July 19. Where turfmen gather in New York the news of the passage of the Gittlna bill in the Senate today was received with great acclaim. It was the first conclusive victory in several lean seasons and there was cause for uncontrolled joy. Within two hours after receiving tho news, positive assurance was given that New York tracks and the Saratoga Association would at onco thake plans for an early resumption of racing. These assurances came from Philip J. Dwyer of the Brooklyn Jockey Club; August Belmont, chairman of tho Jockey Club and president of the Westchester Racing Association: Jaines Butler of the Empire City Racing Association, and a representative of W. K. Vanderbllt for the Coney Island Jockey Club. It had already been positively assured by R. T. Wilson, who was at Albany, that the Saratoga meeting would be conducted. It will not be until the passage of tho bill through the Assembly and its becoming a law that such plans can be completed, but just as soon as that is accomplished the Jockey Club will be called together by Mr. Belmont and the season will be officially launched. The framing of a race program cannot be accomplished over night,, but already some of the associations have tentative program books prepared. The general opinion is that there will be no attempt to race until next month at Saratoga. Each season Saratoga has been awarded the month of August and the general feeling is that R. T. Wilson is entitled to anything he would care to ask for in the way of racing time as a reward for his indefatigable efforts for the passage Of tho Gittins bill. All of this will be arranged at " a meeting of the various track representatives shortly to be called.
