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GIVES ASSURANCES TO HORSEMEN. Judge Murphy Make3 Formal Statement Ccnccrning Proposed Meeting at New Orleans, The program book for the first part of the forty-day meeting of the I.usiucss .Mens Racing Association at the Fair Grounds track. New Orleans, January -February 17, has been distributed among horsemen throughout the country. It covers the period of racing to take place between January 1 and 0, and shows a preponderance of 00 purses, witl 00 as tlie minimum purse value. It Is announced that the racing at the Fair Grounds will be carried on under Jockey Club rules except where local usage prevails. Tlie book is prefaced by the following statement to horsemen signed by Joseph A. Murphy, manager and presiding judge of the meeting: ."The Business .Mens Racing Association of New Orleans is made up of the leading merchants of the city. "They have invited me to aid them in the revival of racing here and I have accepted the invitation and have sipned a five years contract, to manage the plant and act as presiding judge. I have associated with me A. I?. Dade as starter and Joseph .Mclennan as racing secretary. The other officials will be chosen from local men with J. IS. Campbell as clerk of the scales. "Tlie association lias pledged itself to place 0,000 in one of the local haiiKS to insure tlie meeting and horsemen need have no fear that every obligation will not be met. "I have inspected the Fair Grounds and they are in as good condition as when racing closed liere. A force of men are at work on the track and stables, aud horsemen may ship at any time. "As to tlie betting, I will say that there is no law in Louisiana to prohibit betting on horse races and tills feature will adjust itself. "We have a united press for clean racing. I need not dwell on the tremendous advantage to th" breeders and owners to accrue from the revival of racing lucre, and I ask your heartv aid not onlv in making the meeting a success, but in seeing that the racing is kept absolutely clean. "On January 1 I shall present to the Legislature of- Missouri a bill to revive racing at St. Louis. I think I will succeed. "With St. Louis and New Orleans once more open to the thoroughbred, the sport will take new impetus."
