view raw text
AGAIN TURNING TO THE TURF. li in. iv be tigniftcaal thai daily newspaper! la various parts ■; tbe countrj are beginning t" pay i mure attention i" tbe tart than for a considerable i lime, li N a uimmI alga, at least. The follow inn I editorial a|ipeared yesterday morning In the Chicago i Inter Ocean : ••on., result of the Democratic landslide In Novem i i„ :■ »;,s rbe election of several governors irbo are believed i entertain "li Ih-i-.-i 1 views toward racing. 1 In consequence there will be attempts lo secure race 1 1 :i. k legislation looking toward a revival of radag in numerous states. • for example, i .lls will be Introduced ta the Ten iH-ssee and Arkansas Legislatures wltU the idea of reviving racing it Memphis and Hoi Springs. The # Minnesota Legislature will consider racing under ] charge of ■ state commission. Nea Orleans Is also planning lo make anoth * effort to open oas or more of its ti acks. •in New York Governor Bulzer Is regarded by turfmen as liberal enough to permit a modified revival of Hi- sport "ii the metropolitan truck-. Short meetings at [lei moat Park, Oraveaead and Sheeps-bead have already i n tentatively planned. "The significant feature of tins possible revival »f racing is tbe racl thai the nay of the bookmaker has passed. Henceforth public betting will be doae i in, ugh 1 1 • pari-mutuel machines, "As a matter of fact it was the bookmaki t who killed racing In thla country. Be m is fi quently liookmaker, horse owner and employer of Jockeys. dm of such a condition naturally grew many scandals. Ami in any event the bookmaker gave the public such odds aa he saw tit -and thest odda were such that the public paid dearly for the privilege of making wagers. •Inder the pari-motnel system — which has proved successful a-herever tried, both at borne and abroad tbe nob] c makes it-, own odds. Reduced to bri f-«„.i terms It la very similar to the bat pool, where each nan contributes . spectSed sum and draws a horxe by chain., the winner taking the pool. The difference Is that in the nari-mutnela each bettor , cbooHpa his own borne and buys as nan] tickets is , be pleases. The machines deduct a percentage I a expenses and the winners divide the rest. "The obvious resall Is that the public make- ta i.wn odda and pays merely a nominal amount for the privilege of lletting, while rbe bookmaker with his horses and jockeys, Inside information and tre-ijnenilv devious methods is entirely eliminated, everything is , |hp. and above hoard aa in a gentlemans game of cards. "There will always be many people who believe that in Itself horse racing is a grand sport. When racing is pat on I basis where a man ran Indulge in it without affecting his standing in the community it will ii" d ui t prosper again. ••Bui one thing la sure: The day of the bookmaker has passed, never to i tt again."