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NOW WELL IN ITS STRIDE MEETING OF CHARLESTON FAIR AND RACING ASSOCIATION SETTLES DOWN. Course in Good Condition and Plenty of Horses Available for Racing — Patronage Disappointing So Far, but Expected to Improve. Charleston. S. .. February ." . — Racing at Pal met to Park can now lie said to have Btttled into its stride, with everything pertaining thereto in tip pm condition. The plant Is bow complete in every le-tail. The track proper is considered by horsemen t 1*" in excellent order for contests and predict ions art freely made lliat ill tlie course of lime ii will be i oaU as ipced as : 1 1 1 . Horn ■ that wee backward at the beginning of the ■art ting ii account of their owners lack of training facilities are now rounding into racing condition and big fields probably will l ii le from now on. The attendance to date has been disappointing, to Hie management and considerable below expectation-. Vat ions reasons are assigned for lllis condi lioJi. hut the most logical advanced is that the post ponementa of ihc opening are chiefly to blame. Prior to Januaty lo. the date originally set for the open Int. tliarle-toi was overrun with visitors who intend, d taking pint in tin- racing throughout the Mason Immediately after the postponnent was an iicuiued man left with the intention of returning tor January 17. 1he secoml |»stponnic;it influenced addition; 1 departures and later the inclement weather caused a wholesale exodus. Many of those who left are awaiting further developments before returning and some have no in tejition ot coming hack. They happened to get here when Charleston aeas baring anpreccdently had weather. Naturally the opinion tiny formed of the locality wa- not tlattc ring. Added to this were the exJnprbitaal rate* they were charged for accomodation*. The later phase has changed considerably. though desirable accomodations still rule high. flic layera have had a stormy path to travel since the opening ami henry leaaaa that they anstained served to reduce their lank- materially. The inecl-illg begaB with til teen bookmakers in line, hut one-third o£ this number have dropped out. their hank roil* having been sacrificod to tin good judgment of the puhlic. In some quarters there is a disposition to criticize the management for establishing the admission price to the track at .*-. This tariff is held to he excessive, considering that this is a virgin Held, with few of the populace conversant with the sport. It is I Id that if the admission charge was only the town folk would gradually become educated to the racing and their steady patronage would follow a- a matter of course. General Manager Pons contends that the patronage would he Increased less than 10 l er cent, if tin admission was si. n,. contends fur ther that the admission is a necessity if racing i-to continue her. on a high plane. Daily operating cnenses are in excess ot .*::.c i i and the higher .1 mission i- needful to help defray expenses. 11m re have I n rumors that the admission would In ic dared, bat Manager Pons denies them. Ip to date the management has been running be 1 Ind financially, although not to any eoastdernble i tenl. ami with any kind of Improve meat the deficit will in- speedily made up. The brand of racing that i- being served up should attract many here before long. It i- held that the uncertainty of legislative action on the pending racing bills i- chiefly responsible for conditions not being better at present. Intil the racing legislation ha-- liecn fully disposed of there i- bound to he a prevailing uncertainty over the oountrv relative to the continuance of racing here for the allotted term. The possibility f a di- continuance before tie scheduled date is only a rein. |. in. Lability, according to authoritative advices. Those In the know declare that the anti-betting bill win not been— i operative in it-- present condition until m t year at any rate, thereby giving the rac- lag Interests Immunity tor this acaaen. at least. The racing adherents were marly caught napping at one period of the legislative proceedings and only the sudden realization of Representative Tobias, of Charleston county, saved the day. Tin- incident hap pened when Representative Stevenson pre stated a resolution looking toward the abatement of any gambling or I Iselling at Palmetto Park, if any was found, by an Immediate suit on the part of the attoracj general, fin- resolution came so suddenly and unexpectedly thai few members of the House understood it- effect. Mr. Tobias, however, caught the general drift, and measuring the possible Force of the resolution, asked ten members to object to the Immediate consideration of the resolution. Thin was done and it prevented action at once, tbOOgb the n solution went on the calender and can in called up for future consideration. The resolution in full i- as folios - ■•Y.i- it resolved by the Boose of Representatives, the Senate COUCHlIng: •S, ctjou 1. — That the attorney general be. and he is hereby, authorized ami directed to ascertain whether a gambling place i- being maintained in t barlestori comity in conneetioh with certain borne racing bow ". .ing on in -aid county, and if le si ■ ascertain that gambling I- going on in connection with sjiid racing or otherwise that he do, as speedily possible. Institute such proceedings to ah. He sacb : anmoti gambling by law as he may 1m- advised. "flection -. That the attorney general be authorised to nee as much ..f the funds appropriated for litigation as may be necessary to defray the expense of tio- Investigation and litigation incident t.. this " mallei nf the eight members in both branches ..f the Leg hdature repn uting Charleston county sis are op posed to the racing bill and two are for it. Komi was generally obacrved at Palmetto park 1 1 • i — afternoon. An exception came with, tin- running of the closing .lash, when Troj Weight, at odds on. finished in third place. Troy weight. In In- previous 1 stait. displaved h gh earlj speed, kept pace with the fleet Berkeley, disposed of him after i:,,ing three UOarter* and drew .lit to via a~ his rider pleased. In todays efforl he was outpaced by Forci and la.k Denurau in the early running and Maromara . i mi hi tix fronl during the stretch run to win by ■ comfortable margin, while Jack Denman outstayed ■ tin- ravorlte for second place II. 0. Comstocks Rey. which Ami] Blakeley Is handling, furnished the mam surprise of the after-Booaph] taking the measure of the band ol three regr-old* n,.,. started In the Bfth race. II w.i-Reys nrsi essai ben and, thongk having shown , ■I fast preliminaries, w was not deemed ready for n bruising race. This a« ounted for the long odd-- against him. Be came with a rush m the lant furlong that carried him through bis field as if tin- others were standing still and landed him a winner uu ler restraint . All the previous two-year-old winner-, with the exception ot Sprightly Miss, engaged la the opener and Nash Cash took the purse alter I sharp drive . |a dispose ..t sp i.iia Jessie Porter and Routhern I Hhore were probablj best in the race, bat in the . scramble for p. .-iii. .n going to the tlr-t turn. the snnVred Interference ami ronld not regain the lost gr.un.. I. The sls rl - ratnltles r.. the two-year-obis are posattsfaetorj and furnisli no pronounced line on i their ability. 1 ■ , . I . i Moil Ami. Donau and Pajaroita were a trio of favorites that rewarded their backer-. Pajaroita waa extremely lucky to score, for Premier and Emperor William should have beaten him. W. ;. Y ink.- arrived last night la advanee of h-is hois.--. Commenting an the racing at Juarez. Mr. Vaake gave it as his opinion that the crowd- this Reason at the track were larger than during any former ix-ri...! and that the meeting la betas con ducted at a profit. Jockey Borel la coining with tbe Yanke consignment and will ride for the stable during thi- no-cling. The Yanke horse- are -till on the road. When thej failed to arrive last night, il was expected thai thev would surely reach Charleston today, but at the conclusl f the racing this afternoon they had taibd to turn up. TWO new riders graduated from the maiden i la-- toda 1eigii-n and Connors. The foresee, who i-iin.br contract to E. II. Garrison, rode Maromara. winner of the -ith race, while Connors, who i-under contract to Capt. P. M. Walker, woa the second race with Moii Ann. Connors, who has been galloping horses for only a couple of months, had hi- tii. -t mount ..ii Saturday last, when he Bnished second with Bodkin, captain Walker brought out jockey Byrne last winter at Jacksonville and it looks a- If he ha- mother promising lad in Connor-. Qacra Bee, the till v thai baa bean raeJag in the colors of i: A. Tyson, changed bands this morning. Carroll Reid purchased her lor ,000. The tame owner disposed of G. M. Miller, which was charmed ii. in R. I. Carman the other day, to W. B. arson at a slight a, Dane. • over the claiming price of fl.AuO. George floward. Claude K.vie and John Th.n lolned the rank- of the layera here this aft.ni I in- Sneii. who arrived yestesday. will probably cut in at the next drawing. Speculation here i- d cidedlv bri-k. « u Saturday T. J. Shaw baudled U high as $.?.S00 on a race, and the smaller books Baa-died over *1 . mhi to each race. Andy Blakehv. who is training Rey f .r II. o. Comstock, was forced to stand a boost of ixi t. retain tbe coil after he won the fourth race. Henley Baker was responsible for the bidding. Wlule being galloped on the roaias this morning tin til! v Mexoana fell in a ditch and cut herself. Ber injuries are not of a serious nature. B. D. Brown is expected at Charleston shortly to remain for a considerable while.
