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RACING BENEFITS HAVRE DE GRACE business Men of Place Give Credit to Sport for In ¬ creased Prosperity of Community The residents of Ilarre de Grace Md where a successful meeting under the control of the Jockey lub is now in progress resent the attacks which part of the press of Baltimore and Philadelphia have been making upon the sport as conducted at the new track The business men of Havre de Grace are a unit in declaring that racing has greatly benefited the place and that the alleged evils dwelt upon by the newspaper sensation mongers do rt ist in fact The Baltimore Sun referring to the matter has this to say sayln ln til the coming of the races Havre de Grace had experienced a rather unpleasant year financially through several business failures and a strike Con ¬ sequently the goose with a promise of laying golden eggs was not unwelcome Now that she is obligingly busy with her specialty why terminate her useful ¬ ness is the substance if not the exact form of the argument most generally heard heardHesidents Hesidents say they have nothing to complain of in the way of disorder and except for the in ¬ creased business and the tvTiirling of twentyfive automobiles through the streets drumming nip pas ¬ sengers ojie would scarcely know the track was in operat ii The racing people who are making their hoiis temporarily in the town are spoken of as belnr orderly and quiet the mayor states that not a single arrest has been necessary because of the theIt It is estimated that 0000 or 7000 a week is spent in the town by the racing i eople and this amount greases the wheels At least 00 persons are making their homes there during the meeting and all are liberal senders Probably 20 a week each is a low average averageMajor Major McDowell of Kentucky started the ball rolling by renting a furnished house and paying it is stated 0 for the month Three or four other houses weiv ivut4Ml at about the same figure figureMl Ml over town the strangers were taleu into private families who rented them rooms in many ases getting from 10 to 12 or even more a week for the moms without board When they want anything the racing people pay whatever price is asked and this hasnot lessened their popularity One woman on the principal residence street has twelve roomers others say the problem of tho win ters coal supply has iKen solved for them by tin race track influx Slaid church members who frown upon the sport itself do not hesitate to fill their spare rooms witli its followers followersThe The absence of disorder the distance of the track from the town and the financial returns noticed i all sides have made most of the business men advo ¬ cates of the enterprise sometimes tacitly but usu ¬ ally openly Merchants frankly state that the are benefiting through MMiis mmiitliUjoitp t tluLjraojnr men and through the moiTey brought into the town by them Overdue bills have been paid and shop ping is brisker Iteeause of a more general possession of cash The track is looked upon by many as the best gift of good fortune to the town townProbably Probably the consensus of opinion is expressed by Mayor Walter II Weber who says Hacing at Havre de Grace is as well conducted and shoitd be as free from criticism as that it Pimlico There is no disorder at the track or In the town thirty private detectives and Pinkcrton men are employed by the association to preserve order and drive out undesirable characters The meeting is conducted under the rules and subject to the direc ¬ tion of the New York Jockey Club and any follower of the sport will tell you that means clean racing Why should we not be permitted then to have racing if we want it without interference V We do not attempt to dictate to Baltimore about racing nt Pimlico which is right at her front door This meeting is proving a big thing for tln town In a money way I have seen no indication that it is planting the seeds of evil influence in the minds of young men and boys patronage of the track by the people of Havre de Grace and vicinity is com ¬ paratively small anyway Everything bad that has been said about the track every suggestion of crooked work and evil influence has come from the outside and largely from the papers of Baltimore and Philadelphia We desire to be let alone in this matter
