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ALL KENTUCKY TORN i Sportsmen of Blue Grass State Aroused by Attack on Racing. Big Delegations Going to Frank fort Wednesday for Public v Hearing Before Senate. LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb. 13. All Kentucky is torn over the proposition now before the Kentucky senate as to whether the sport of racing will continue to be legally conducted in the. Blue Grass State, or whether the reform element will strike down by legislative action an industry worth millions, and which has been the best advertisement the state has enjoyed since it was admitted to the sisterhood of states. Already the measure to repeal the pari-mutuel act, which has gone far to place Kentucky in the front ranks of racing and breeding in America, has passed the upper house by a vote of 5G to 38. This measure, however, the same one the senate is now considering, was referred by a speaker friendly to racing in the house to a committee so hostile it would not give the racing folk a. hearing. In the senate the committee which has it in charge has called a public hearing and the interest through the state has became fo intense that probably as large a crowd will go to Frankfort "Wednesday to hear that debate as ever graced the new capitol building. Senator R. C. Simmons, chairman of the committee bavins: the bill, has drawn up rules of orderly debate to govern the hearing and says that each side will be given an equal time to make their points. From the blue grass section of the state more than 500 persons will be on hand at tho hearing and one of the speakers for the racing interests will be a clergyman. Louisville also will send a large delegation composed oC both the proponents and opponents of racing: to the capitol. MAJORITY IX SENATE. Racing had a clear majority in the senate up to a few days ago, when, by tactics used in the prc-Volstead days, the pressure began to weaken several of the senators who had heretofore inclined to vote for the continuance of racing. That there have been somo inroads made in the adherents of racing is admitted by the racing folic, but how far this disaffection has reached is hard to conjecture. One correspondent says, today, that it is very-close between the factions with fifteen sura votes for each side and eight noncommittal. This correspondent claims that the final vote will be either 20 to 18 against racing or 20 to 18 to kill the "repealer." Reports are that the anti-racing lobby i3 well stocked with all the "sinews of war" and making a desperate effort to put racing out of the state for all time. Like all fights in Kentucky, this one has reached the feud stage. Politics and other interests seeking legislature favor have become so entwined around the racing issue that it is very difficult to tell which way the cat will jump. Trading and swapping for votes is on tap every moment and the air about the capitol has become so charged that the outside public is expectant that more than hard words will appear and that the native son will soon resort to his favorite weapon. It is understood that the anti-racing measure has no emergency clause and even if the bill should pass it would not affect the status quo in Kentucky for ninety days after its passage. This would permit the full meeting at Lexington and Louisville under present conditions and part of the Latonia meeting.
