Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-13

sons for suoh an extraordinary step Mr..
| Wertheimer's strange efforts might be some.
what excused. But Mr.. Wertheimer, of all
men, should be slow to act as he is doing.
He is a public man, not only as q
Councilman but as liquor deal
er, and surely there is 8 re-
markable inconsistency in such
man irving to handicap the legitimate and
honorable amusement of the public. True,
not be in saloons, but no patriotic Council
man ought to be influenced by this fact.
The question is almost too ridiculous to
discuss seriously. Certainly it is unneces-
sary to attempt to 60 into details to show
the absurdity, the unfairness and the per-
nicious features of such move. What In
| the world has prompted Councilman
| Wertheimer to select baseball as marx!
I'm sure it contributes largely to the
wealth of the city; to the muscle OF our
young citizens, and to the pleasant recre-
alton of our old ones. To impose fine, for
such it is, of SIS on every game would
simply stop professional ball playing in
Allegheny. The idea is preposterous, and
it will be exceedingly interesting to find, If
even q division takes place in Councils on
the matter. how many members there are
like Mr. Wertheimer and who they are.
Professional Rowers Again.
During the week Edward Hanlan has
once more been brought prominently before
the public in way that at least only adds
to the disrepute that has already sent pro-
fessional rowing into obscurity. Mark, I
don't say that Hanlan has really committed
any dishonest act, but I refer to the fact that
he has been charged with doing so. A few
DAYS ago he conceded Alex. Mclean 100
yards start In three miles, and when he,
r. IL In
collapsed. He stopped rowing and tho
British Columbia man landed q winner.
Both rowers were hooted by the crowd of
people who claimed they had been feeced
by fakirs. Whether not the race was honest,
there were extremely suspicious features sur
rounding it, and it is safe to say that it is
another big nail in the coffin Of professional
sculling.
have often remarked that there Is no
hope whatever for professional rowing in
this country until Q new generation of
scullers have grown up. When profess
sionals travel from place to place arranging
something rotten in the state of Den
mark" Our professionals have been doing
this for years and things have come to such
pass that they hardly dare now visit
the same place twice. The receipt" bus
iness has more than anything else contri-
buted to the state of things can remem-
Der the time when the public and the row.
ers knew nothing of receipts" and then
was the time when there was racing for
glory and honor as well as money.
Tho English Champions.
Speaking of professional rowing reminds
me that Billy East and George Perkins are
matched to row on the Thames for the
English championship. They rowed in
regatta last year when East was the victor,
and judging from reports he is
likely to be the victor again. But
mighty have fallen" in England as far as
sculling is concerned. Just think of two
mediocre scullers like East and Perkins
rowing for championship honors in . coun-
try that has had its Chambers, its Rem
forths. its Kellys and its Taylorsi And
don't let us forget that professional scull-
ing in America Is fast descending to SINH
lar level The present "receipt" gang can
not last much longer, and the sport is so
degraded now that young men won't enter
it; therefore the standard of professional
rowing is sure to be low when the present
performers drop out. In England to-day
amateurs like Gardiner and Nichols can
beat the best professionals, and so it will be
here shortly-our best amateurs will be bet
ter than our best professionals.
Trouble Among tho Amateurs.
Amateurism is not only becoming very
popular in this country, but 1t is becoming
very troublesome as well. Those who have
been mapping out the road in which ANA
teurs must travel recently are meeting with
lots of difficulties, for every week there are
some amateurs to be Expelled" and some to
be reinststed. This is all, or I might say
about all, caused by desire to have anna
teurism as near like professionalism as pos
sible. These notions of "cash" prizes and
loose systems of Expenses" always had
their bad results and always will have.
There ought to be a very distinct, if not
very wide, line drawn between the two
classes, and as long as there is not the ANA
teurs will be the losers, because the nearer
their class gets to professionalism, the more
bona fide gentlemen will there leave the
ranks of amateurisu.
There are many things clear to common
sense observation that cannot be made
transparent by code of rules, and 30 it is
that many so-called amateurs have been
more or less living on their athletic abili-
ties, both in this and other countries. Un-
til this is changed, and firmly changed, We
will continue to have the troubles that are
now disrupting amateur ranks.