| Show Saving the State Fair N MEDIEVAL days when the passions loosed b by IN war were most elemental it was the custom of If certain barbaric nations in ill giving battle to place at the head of the attacking column captured women and children of the enemy This made the opposing forces wary in resisting since sinco even a barbarian hesitates hesi tates to launch deadly shafts at nt his own wife or chil child Borrowing a leaf from the tho ancient book the exponents s of racetrack gambling in the desp desperate rate a assault upon the Thornley Mabey-Thornley bill are placing the Utah State fair in ill the forefront of the battle as the child that they allege will be bo done to death if gambling at racetracks and in poolroOms poolrooms pool pool- rooms roams is i forbidden That this is is merely an excuse is pal palpable pablo that horse races can be held without gambling just as can baseball games and other tests of speed endurance endurance endur endur- ance and skill in man or beast is is a self evident fact that needs no argument to support it And if f as a corollary the friends of gambling urge that it must t L 1 h 1 L 1 4 1 DC lu 10 0 nUlu noia races LiLee ai ui aime me uc Be Because U I cause these lat latter tel in turn arc necessary to the existence existence existence exist exist- ence of tho fair itself this is s an excellent time for forthe forthe Ithe the people of Utah to learn that the annual expo in which they take so much pride ride has its basic foundation in gambling and could not live without it Tho The above we believe e to be a fair statement in ill view of the attitude expressed by bj Secretary Horace brace S. S Ensign of tho the Utah State Fair association Mr Ir Ensign has been one ono of tho the most earnest opponents of the bill and an nn ardent defender of ol racetrack gambling He He concedes the wisdom of oJ prohibiting and pins his faith to the substitute substitute sub sub- measure which has been introduced in the tho House Honse by br Representative ve Kriebel of Salt Lake county by request that bill prohibits all race betting and gambling except at the race track But it is inconsistent in in that it docs does not also legalize burglary holdups and the like if committed at the racetrack The Utah State fair was instituted as an nn annual exhibit of the resources and nud products of this state with the awarding of prizes in order to encourage constant improvement on the part Jart of agriculturists stock raisers etc If the original idea has been so completely submerged that only tho the encouragement of gambling and the tho consequent debauching of tho the morals of tho the people can call keep the fair alive it would bet better tel pass out of existence in order that it may be he reorganized on first principles That condition con eon however does not obtain the state fair does not need gambling in order to hold races It would b be equally as logical to urge that books should be made and pools sold on the probable winners in inthe inthe inthe the art award or the giving of prizes for the best fann products It is only a palpable subterfuge the cry of possible damage to the state fair is raised conceal tho the real battle that the tho proponents of r ra gambling are making Se Secretary Ensigns Ensign's familiarity with the subject discussed in his interview published yesterday must be conceded and his opinions are remarkably re refreshing re- re freshing freshing- When ho remarks that under tho the pari- pari system which he advocates there thero can be no harm he is if more moro frank than most of the proponents proponents of race gambling since they pretend to be bo horrified that anybody should gamble although expressing expressing expressing ex ex- ex- ex pressing willingness willingness' to endure it reluctantly of course in order that racing horse may bo be saved Mr Ensign objects that that- the Mabey bill takes the power of regulating the tho racetrack away from the people and places places' it in the hands of the tho police departments We ar are not certain just what that means since since the measure does not regulate the racetrack it merely prohibits gambling Between regulating and prohibition there is indeed a deep gulf fixed The measure does not legislate as to racing it only stops gambling And even en if it did ts various regulate through the police departments other crimes are regulated in the same way in including including in- in eluding burglary larceny other forms of gambling the social evil and the like The prohibition of racetrack gambling will not destroy racing horse-racing unless that sport is founded on gambling in which case it deserves extermination If the race race tracks at nt the state fair or elsewhere arc alC maintained merely for gambling plants then little wooden horses running about a twelve inch circle would serve the same purpose although they could be no better regulated in the interest of the book book- makers J Ra Pa Pa Ja |
