The parallel between the Walker-Otis Anti-Racetrack Gambling bill and
the Wright-Stanton Direct Primary bill furnishes the most suggestive
feature of the Legislative session. Each was based on a demand of a
large majority of the people of the State for the correction of an
abuse; the one to prevent the prostitution of the race-course in the
interest of the gambling element; the second to prevent the domination
in public affairs of the corrupt, corporation-backed political boss.

Each had been discussed in the public prints for months previous to the
convening of the Legislature, and each had been made in the popular view
of affairs a sort of test by which the Legislature was to be judged.

Each had the support of not only the better element of electors, but the
better element of each House of the Legislature. Each had the determined
secret opposition, and so far as it dared, the open opposition of the
machine.

The campaign which the machine planned against the bills was practically
the same in each instance - to amend the measures into a condition of
ineffectiveness, and then pass them as sop to The People. This would
have given The People a Direct Primary law without a direct primary; an
Anti-Gambling law that would neither close poolrooms nor interfere with
bookmaking.

And here the parallel ends.

The proponents of the Anti-Gambling bill introduced an Anti-Gambling
measure, showed that it was the best that could be drawn, and let it be
known that they (the supporters of the measure) would, if it were
amended by the machine, vote against it.