Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-03
O'Connor Explains the Difference Between
Matches and ReRasPas.

0'Connor Explains the Difference Between
Matches and Regartas.
Following is the letter in which o'Connor
fully explains the present aquatic situation:
TORONTO. ONT. December 80, 1882
SIR-In confirmation of my telegram OF
Thursday last beg to say, that while 1 am
willing to take part in any regatta at which the
prizes offered are sufficiently large TO warrant
the labor and expense of training, must most
positively decline to acknowledge that any
championship can be considered at stake in
such regatta. 1 won the championship Of
America in a match race, and will never risk
it in q contest where my defeat would be the
foremost aim of every other contestant. As
for the championship of the world being de-
cided in such a way, the idea is preposterous
Can any sane man imagine the Australians
would be willing to come here, row In still
waters for the first time in their lives, take
part in a scramble in which every home sculler
would conspire to beat him, and then acknowl-
edge that they had forfeited all claim to the
title?
1 cannot imagine that even Teemer in his
widest moments can believe such thing, and
i am sure your enterprising townsman. Mr.. ID.
Thayer does not. The objections to putting
the professional single sculling championship
at stake in a regatta are so many that to me it
hardly appears worth while to go over them.
Look at the possibilities Of intentional fouls,
and probably the ultimate decision Of an in
man who did not see what went on and gave his
verdict on the hearsay evidence of witnesses
who might be all opposed to the best oarsman.
Can anything be more unsatisfactory than the
disposition of supreme honors in. race where
such possibilities exist?
Previous to meeting Beach. Hanlan's only de-
feats were in regattas, but nobody claimed
that he forfeited championship honors in such
contests. In fact 1t would have been ridicu-
lous to assert that by his victory on Kempen-
feldt Bay, in 1873. J. II. Riley won the title, or
that Wallace Ross did the same by his success
year later on the Seekonk. In both places
Hanlan was caught on, although at Provi-
dence he was considered a certainty. The
trouble appears to have been, however, that
in setting himself down to beat the English
man, Robert Watson Boyd, he strained him
SELF with the result that an inferior sculler
won A sprinter could carry me along for
space, then another man come up and DO the
same, the final result being that l, the &C.
knowledged champion of America, might be
defeated. Hanlan easily defeated his con-
querors In regattas when they came against
him In match races, and l might do the same;
but why should be called upon to risk my
title any more than he was in such contests.
As have said before, fear no man who sits in
boat, but am determined to have something
to say in the disposition OF title that nave
earned by hard work and great expense, and no
other man has right to call upon me TO put
the championship at stake in a race In which
number of scullers compete, some Of whom can
have no possible pretentiOn to the highest
honors, and only row in the hope that good luck
and not their ability may do something for
them have forfeit up with the Toronto
Empire with a challenge open to the world and
if any American thinks he can beat me all he
has TO do is to cover it and he will be accom-
modated, If. however, Thsyer of Boston and
Calkins of Seattle wish to make a race in which
the championship shall be decided, they can
have their wish gratified by adding purse to
the main stake which and my rival shall put
up. and, il 1t is liberal enough, 1 will promise
70 row at any place either Of them may name.
More than that will not consent to. Yours,
etc., WILLIAM OCoNNoR.