Aflame with Sentiment for Racing: Movement to Restore Sport Arouses People of New Orleans to Remarkable Efforts, Daily Racing Form, 1914-06-09

article


view raw text

AFLAME f/RH SENTIMENT IOK rtAtMNC. Movement to Restore Spoil Aiouses Peuple of New Orleans to Remarkable Efforts. New Orleans. La., June L— New Orleans was more stirred up yesterday over the proposal to restore racing in Louisiana under the pari mutuel system than it has been excited before in a decade. both foes and adherents of the measure crowded all possible work into the day, as it was realized that the crucial light will take place within a day or two. In Lafayette Baajare a great mass meeting of business men and others was held. Five addresses were made to a cheering throng that stretched farther than their voices could carry. i:ach of the itpeaken made caustic references to the part certain club women have taken in circulating petitions against the measure, and among the anptanders en naaaerous society women who have taken sides with the racing advocates. At the conclusion of the meeting ■ majority of the crowd, with brass bands and liti.v or more automobiles, paraded the baahaeaa section, cheering lustily. No such crmvd ever before was massed on the downtown streets oa a Sunday. From nearly even pulpit in the city there were -erinoiis on tiie subject of raeiag. Most prominent or the iii— cnti i- from tiie majority of ministerial opinion were Dr. A. Cordon l.akewell and the Rev. la tiur Foulkes. S. J. The former, im stj yean old and rector of Trinity chapel declared in- ravored racing and IhOHghl it a good thing if the rougher ■ :, micni could be ecliid--d. lather Ioulki--. according lo Archbishop Bleak, •■■vaded the issue. The archbishop, who has taken a leading part in tie- light against racing, asked ail Catholic priols in the dioce-e lo preach against I in- bill, although he him-eir did not do -,.. Fa thai I .oil L---.. next lo the archbishop, is probablj the leading Catholic prelate in New Orleans, being the priest in charge of the powerful Jesuits church. Today ■ big exearatoa was run to Batoa Rouge an.! score- will remain in the stale capital through Wednesday, when the bill probably will be paased or killed. Baton liouge. La., June s. — Interest in the racing sii nation is intense tonight. The lteiiiliarl hill, as amended, will come up lor engrossment and advance rneni tomorrow ami it is expected that its opponents will move to Indefinitely postpone, in which event the test will come in tin- House. Two hundred i, urines- no ii arrived from New Orleans by special train this afternoon ami took np quarters at local hotels. The laag a huge banner across Third -licet bearing the legend: "Headquarters New-Orleans Itt.-ine-s Men; We Want the Bacea." They waited in. Governor Hall this afternoon In a body, i-r as maiiv as could crowd Into the executive oflace, to ask him to keep his bands of the fight. H be will, they declare they can carry the measure through the legislature. Governor Hall is oa record a- declaring that be would veto a bill repealing the Locke law. if it should pass. With the powerful pressure brought to bear in New Orleans, however, and with the referendum submitting the whole question to a vote of the people, it is being whispered that Governor Hall may -los-ibly consent to allow a bill to become law without bis signature If both houses should pass it. A mammoth mass meeting of racing sympathisers was held in Lafayette Sqaare, New Orleans. Sunday afternoon, which was attended by from si to eight thousand persons, it was ilnn determined to Btoraa the capitol today. The F.aton Boage correspondent of the Time Picayune writes that paper as follows: 1 luring the week just past, racing has developed lata a far bigger issue than those In-st Informed on legislative matters thought possible. When tirst introduced the bill was comparative!] a joke, as far as opportunities for its passage were concerned. Then several days of extremely active work by Representatives tteiahardt and Labarre, its leading backers, changed the situation a bit and the bill received the courtesy of reference to a favorably disposed committee. ••Apparently the succes- of the prapoaeats in the initial contest aroused to action the previously silent racing: advocates in New Orleans. At the hearing beii n- the City Affairs Committee ten days ago they appeared in eonsiderhale numbers. Thai inspired further efforts and a delegation of them remained at the capital Ihrougliout the week just past. Thursdav night they demonstrated a pari mutuel betting machine in the lions;-. •In the meantime a committee organized in New Oleans apparently had began working the parishes getting in behind wavering members through friends and business connections. Friday, for the lirst time, sentiment among House inomliers seemed to have backbone. •There is good ground for the belief that when the hill comes to a vole W dnesdav the contest will be IhiIIl hitter anil close. Some days ago the ap poneats of racing iiolled the House and pledged seventy members to vote against tin- Reinhardl bill. That would reduce the possible number of voles for the bill to forty eight, with sil ueces s.uy to pass. Rut since thai lime the bill has been ro written and a propoaltioa added for referendum. and recall. This feature of I he hill has Strengthen e,i it perceptibly. The prevaUing opinion still is, however, thai the bill cannot pass the HoaSC


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1914060901/drf1914060901_1_3
Local Identifier: drf1914060901_1_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800