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WOULD HAVE SUPERVISION OF BETTING. The Marquis of Queensbury, who became a member of the sporting stall of the Chicago Tribune, seems to bo in perfect accord with the ideas entertained by many broad-minded Americans as to the proper manner of dealing with the subject of betting on the race tracks. Unfortunately, American political leaders appear to lack the courage or wisdom required for putting into effect such legislation as the Marquis proposes In an article recently published in the Tribune over bis signature, from which the following excerpts are taken. "It seems to be a popular impression that sport must necessarily bo associated with gambling. This is not so. Gambling is not by any means necessary to sport, and many sportsmen and prominent owners of race horses never made a bet in their lives, and follow sport in all Its branches for the pure love of the game. "Of course, in racing it is practically impossible to eliminate gambling entirely, or rather the back-lug of horses to win. Racing is a business the same as any other business, and owners in many cases must make their stables pay. And for the life of me I cannot see the difference between your money on an animal that has cost you an enormous lot of money to rear and train and buying a large amount of mining stock In someone elses mine, or, for that matter, of that insuring risks on lives and ships. "After all, in plain English, an insurance company gambles on life and risks, on a business basis just the same as the owner of a Derby horse puts money on his horse in the hope of Its winning and recouping him for some of his outlay. "I think France has got betting down to its proper level. The totalization system there is absolutely perfect. No one can hurt himself, as every bet must be made in ready money, and you bet with the government so your money is safe. A certain percentage of the gross receipts is devoted to charitable institutions and the balance given to the advancement of scientific horse breeding. "In England there is a large amount of betting on football matches, but It is strictly illegal and mostly conducted from agencies in Holland or Switzerland. I altogether disapprove of betting on football and similarly on baseball. On the latter game I understand there is little betting. "But the plain fact Is that people will gamble on some form or another. If they cant bet on horses they will bet on wheat or oats or coal or hogs, and where is the difference? I think what a government ought to do is to legalize it in some form, as it is done in France, and then half the evils are swept away. "In Italy public gaming is conducted by the government in every department in the form of weeklv lotteries, perfectly fair and perfectly managed, so that the poorer classes can have their little gamble of a sum as low as, I believe, even 10 cents, and yet have a chance of winning quite a large sum."
