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CONGRESSMAN SHERWOODS SANE VIEWS ON BETTING IN CONNECTION WITH RACING Tlie latest edition of the Congressional Kecord contains a glowing appreciation of the American horse by Congressman Isaac K Sherwood of Toledo Ohio one of the leaders of Congress for many years and one of the best judges of blooded stock in the country and who about eight years ago at the age of 71 years made a notable record in driving a pair of his own horses around one of the Northwestern Ohio tracks The generals remarks were apropos of an item in tlie agricultural appropriation bill canr ¬ ing a liberal sum of money fur jiorso Breeding and experiments In live stock production productionGeneral General Sherwood deprecates the legislation by various states that has resulteu iu restricting horse racing and asserts that such legislation is lending to ruin scientific horse breeding in the United States All his life he has tie voted considerable at ¬ tention to horse breeding and racing and at one time edited a publication devoted to the subject The general himself does not bet on the racis hut does not regard betting as sufficiently an evil to jus ¬ tify much of the adverse legislation that has been enacted The Congressional Kecord quotes him as folloxvs folloxvsHow How is it possible to promote scientific horse breeding by the United States government In the presence of so much hostile legislation by the states to wipe out horse racing or horse culture Speed horses of high quality coiuiimneeu remunerative prices when breeders were allowed to race their products on the grand circuit circuitThere There were plenty of ready home buyers at the end of the grand circuit for tried and educated horses of speed manners and quality and buyers from Russia Austria London Paris and nearly all the leading capitals of Europe Millions of gpod gold dollars were brought Into the United States by foreign buyers juices ranging for stallions of fashionable breeding and extreme speed from 25000 to 7r AH All tlie stock farms were prosperous and then was neither a demand riot au excuse for government patronage or government aid until the hypocritical blatherers masquerading as reformers started workI on their destructive work I am not here to criticize the efforts of the government to promote scientific horse breeding but to call attention to the notoriously unfortunate fact that nearly all the states north of the Ohio HwT Jiive = r Mmettd hu tilo JegisJaUwu tfizdteeredlti and practically ruin scientific horse lirceding ThIs lias iKen done largely by legislation against pool yelling on race tracks This leglsation has practi ¬ cally ruined the splendid series of harness racing known cs the Grand Circuit which a decade ago furnished to millions of horseloving enthusiasts the most wholesome and recreative and alluring of all the outdoor sports and pastimes of the American people This legislation has also ruined the county fairs which for half a century have afforded so much wholesome enjoyment to the boys and girls of the farms farmsAnd And what lias been the result of this legislation upon the speculative element of modern society Has It stopped gambling V No it has increased it Has it elevated the moral tone of society No It has degraded it All peoples Christian pagan and Mohammedan have their recreations and pas ¬ times If they are not allowed the best they are liable to go to the worst In the United States we have practically killed highclass horse racing and inaugurated prize fighting baseball and football footballAnd And we are now gambling three times as much on these games as we ever did iu the heyday of horse racing And a game that is outlawed in every civil ¬ ized country around the world prize lighting is now the most popular pastime of the sporting ele ¬ ment of the American people The brutal bouts of the nose smashers and rib crackers of the prize ring are tlie leading features of aii our leading daily newspapers They are even betting disgracefully on the polo game And the select ladylike are gambling on it far more than was ever known on race horses horsesHere Here is a reliable telegram showing the big hit made by Mrs Hitt Los Angeles Cal March 4 Perry IteuKeston won the laurels in todays polo round robin his individual score of six being the best Mrs William Hitt formerly Katherlne Elklns bid in licadlcston at the auction pool last night for and won the 700 pot Some one esti ¬ mated that at least 12000 a game has changed hands during the season seasonAnd And no protests anywhere As I never bet a dollar in my life ou a horse race and never bought a pool ticket on a horse and never bet on any other sport not even a twilight tango I urn giving an en ¬ tirely disinterested opinion on this vital principle based on over H years personal observation observationAs As a parting word let me voice the universal opinion of the horsemen and breeders of the United States They are not asking any advice or aid from the Federal government AH they ask is to be al ¬ lowed to do business free from tlie cruel handicap of r trictjsi anuWwuust lejtislatJon Let us aim al present and future legislation against the reign of prize fighting and all other brutal and degrading games and give to the liotso ud his master mat a chance to uhivato the spirit auQ vlolcsonie general tone of the outdoor sports aiulpu tlinei6 of the Amer ¬ ican people
