tTo 122 MATCH OF TH2 4 `itescrAros.."1 Sns,—I have read your
leading article on this subject, and if you care to publish this letter from one who bets on horse racing, you can do so. I am a regular reader of your paper
and am absolutely tired of your repeated attacks on the Daily News (Cadbury-Rowntree Company). Surely they have done some good through not publishing "selections," "tips," and betting news in one of their papers, and I think you might now give them a rest and turn your attention to some other paper which publishes betting news in both morning and evening editions, even if it should happen to be a Conservative one. I agree with a great part of your article, and think some- thing should be done at once to prevent working men from ruining themselves and their families through following " selections " and " tips " published in newspapers by men who know very little about what horses are going to run, or more to the point, going to try. They must lose in the end. If you could get a Bill passed abolishing tipsters' advertise- ments, newspaper selections, and all betting news till after the race had been run, you would immediately stop 90 per cent. of the betting on the part of clerks, working men and others who cannot afford to lose their money. We must have a supply of horses in this country ; and we found during the South African War that our supply was altogether insufficient. Very well, stop all betting on racecourses and you will find the public will not attend. Consequently the meetings must go down and the breeding of horses follow suit. If the Puritans in this country would agree to legalise betting in an open manner by establishing the pari-mutuel at all race meetings and do away with the bookmakers it would practically stop all betting by the " man on the street."—I am, Sir, etc.,
A NONCONFORMIST.
[We desire to stop betting news, tips, and advertisements in Unionist quite as much as in Home Rule papers, but surely our Correspondent must see that it is useless to appeal to people who see no harm in betting to give up a profit from inciting to betting, when people who admit they think betting wrong persist in making a profit from incitements and tips. The great obstacle to getting Parliament to prohibit news- paper incitements to betting is the willingness of well- known philanthropists to maintain journalistic gambling tables.—En. Spectator.]
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