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SIMS-STERLING INTOLERANCE Startling Endeavor of Reform Statesmen Through Recent Bills in Congress. Here is the opinion of Mr. V. Sanders of The Times of Louisville. Ky.. about the Sims Sterling bill now be rare Geagraaa: "The vicious measures introduced in the national Congress by Kepreseiitat ie Sinis and Senator Sler-ling for the prevention of the dissemination of betting odds on sporting events, especially races. Strike* at the very root of freedom of the press and starts an initiative of depriving the press of its constitutional prerogatives. Should the measure-be passed, how long would it be that the sporting pages of newspapers would be a thing of the past? "With the American public deprived of wagering on its favorite sport, how short a time would ii take to corrupt tlie great national game of baseball? Already there have been thousands of dollars changed hands on the outcome of baseball gam s. Indcr this bill it would be illegal to qaote odds on the different teams engaged in the world series. Willi no published odds on races or other -porting events sport itself and sporting pages would any about as much inlerest as a copy of the Congressional Record. "It would be illegal for a newspaper to print the odds against the Fpsom Derby winner or any other international s|xirting eveul. It would be illegal for a newspaper to print an ad i I isemeni of any big race meeting or boxing contest. "A vicious law like this would tend to effeminate all lines of s|x»rt and make mollycoddles out of the coming generation. It would destroy the incentive of breeders in their endeavor to improve the breed of horses. "Such a law would tend further lo tear down the rights of States and centralixe government. It would give I he government powers It has never before exercised. Carried far enough it would prevent the telegraphic transmission of stock quotations. It is purely class legislation and aimed ai persons whose vocations arc just as legitimate as the stockbroker. "No state law ha* ever been upheld on the same lims as this measure. The fight against the ticker service has met reversal after reversal in several stale courts. Chancellors in deriding these cases always referred to the pacoastitarjeaelity of these actions on the grounds that they did not strike id the fountainhead of the alleged evils. One judge in throwing a case out of the court suggested the remedy to lose operations on the stock exchanges. "The authors of the law would strike at the sport through the national government, knowing full well il could not be done in tin- state- where racing i- legally conducted. It is a stab ia the dark at the sport of racing, and the hackers of the measure are using underhand methods to destroy the sport . "A fight for news and newspapers is on. The time is not far distant, if the type of lawmakers supporting sack legislation have their way. until • of I hem will have the folly of reform so fully within him as to ask for legislation fan ing men and women to adopt a certain creed or to go to a named place of wen-ship. Such legislation is only delayed by lack of present reform organizations in its favor and the necessary clubs of influence which modern reformers swing." a ,
