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• 1 MARYLAND BILL IN SENATE: Frederick County Citizens Protest Against Anti- i ■ Racing Measure — Unexpected Opposition. R.W.TIMORK. Md.. Man -h 7. -The antiruciitg measure was before the senate at Auuapolis today on i1s first reading. The measuie was sent to the finance committee by president Norris. A feet minutes after the bill was read Senator Goodall of Fredeiii-k. Md.. pro-ented a petlttea from the people ■ f 1iodeiick County protesting agaiust the anti j j lactag bill ajid fledariatl la favor of horse racing and the present laws com-eming it. In presenting the pettthMi Senator Goodall said thai without declaring whether be wa- tar et against the praaeaad bill he wanted to make it clear thai the peiition eaatalaed the names of 9M of the best citizens of Frederick County. There ha- baea aitieh speculation in the state house "ii this •moral bill." The speculation has to dn not only with the i j filial disposition of the measure, but as to how long it will be befeta it gels before the senate for a rate aud whether or not there will ba hearings on I I either of the bill-. The race track latataata »n-; aiently made ae efEarl •-• fight the bill against I | tacaag » the house. This naaaafl a great ieal afl speculation as to the raaeaa. One suggestion in the lobbies was that race track* were depending on the senate to put thrnaah the bill which will piecta* a license tee of h aaa for each day of racing and increase the st:.te revenue rather than paa* the anti-raeing measure which will wipe out the Siate Racing Commission and cut off from the state X700.H0 bt revenue. After the anti-racing bill hail becu put through the beeae with a safe majority there was talk last week that the senate would also pat it through without any real fight. This does not aeeea to be the sitnatiou today. There is evidence that the bill will meet with -tiff opposition iu the upper house. Against the anti ralng measure there h considerable opposition in the senate because of the large revenue :t will take away 1"rem the state. Also the bill was attacked today on the ground that its scope was far greater than had 1 been supposed: that instead of merely prohibiting betting on races it would prohibit all games of i-haioe. This would seem to be the meaning of the law in the light of I careful analysis made of its provisions . today. Several members of the general a--s.jnblv and Baltimore lawyers who are at Annapo lis sliared this view. The general and sweeping provisions of the bill are indicated by the fact that J while it is generally understood to be directed again-t race track gambling, racing is nowhere mentioned in the measure and. while the bill deea not specially mention racing in any manner, it - wipes out the Slate Racing Commission as created I by Chapter 273 of the Acts of 1920 and ■betiahet ■ racing commissions in counties wherever they now : are on the books. Delegate William Purnell Hall, one of the members of the house who introduced the bill, said 1 loday that it did not rake off the ttatate books . of the stute the biwa now in force again.-t gam bling: that it m-iely repealed sectious of tin- present law which were inccmsistenl with house bill I No. s. and re-enacted the provisions of the old law » whieh fit into the oropo-ed measure. Mr. Halls t ■tteatiea wan called to Hie fact that the proposed 1 law aeea not mention racing in specific terms. He pointed out that the bill was not directed i against racing, but again-t gambling at the ra-e I tracks or elsewhere. The law would, iu effect. become the general law of Ih" state in regard to gambling. Mr. Hall said.
