Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-12-18

University Students Stirred Up Over
the Election Of Athletic As
ISOLATION Officers.

Madison, Wis, Dec. 13.-[Speciall /
University circles are all stirred up over
the annual election Of officers of the
Saturday, December a. There are now
three leading candidates for the presi-
dencv. F. w. Kull, the big center rush
of the football team, w. J. GiHen, man
ager of the team this year, and Walter
Alexander, also a member of the team.
Friends of 'Ikey" Karel are also push
ing his candidacy, and there is talk of a
clark horse a member of the alumni,
who takes a strong interest in athletics,
who may carry off the prize.
The wire-pulling that is being done
and combinations formed would do credit
to q political state convention. The
"frat" and "anti-frat" spirit, always
prevalent, is at high pitch, and though
none of the candidates are fraternity
men, Kull and Alexander each have the
backing of two fraternities, who ex-
pect in the event of success to get their
favorites on different athletic teams.
sit is no wonder" said a gentleman
we'll posted on university affairs, "that
the anti-frat crowd are afraid to give
the frats more than fair showing, since
each time they get control they legislate
affairs to suit themselves, closing out the
rest. One prominent fraternity is noted
in college circles for simply taking in
men who have control Of affairs so that
this frat can run matters as it thinks
best. This same frat SO managed this
fall as to keep a poor player on the foot
ball team by means of it's pull Nor is
this the only OrganiZa ton which attempts
to control affairs. At the Badger board
meeting last spring three frats formed a
pool with a literary society and divided
the positions among themselves. Few
fraternity men belong TO the literary So
cieties as they are given hardly any
chance to show their ability, being prac-
tically barred, on account of their be-
longing to a fraternity, from any ora
torical honor. Nor are the literary So
cieties wrong. For each fraternity
which gets a member on the football
team, Glee club, crew, or any representa-
tive university organization, immediate
ly pads up chapter letter to its fra
ternity magazine and brags of it's victory
over the 'barbs.' The proportion of the
frat men to the anti-frats is about four
to one. and when the fraternities gain
the ascendency they attempt to hold it.
But in the matter of the Athletic as
ISOLATION, a place where the best man
should fill the place regardless to the
frat line, it seems very hard that one of
the literary societies should back up one
candidate and a frat another on simply
frat and anti-frat grounds. The feeling
is so strong that one nonfrat expressed
in the pointed words, D the frats and
their combines; we'll beat 'em if every
lit" society man is dragged to the cleo
ton The frats are doing equally strong
work and nearly every frat has been
approached for its vote"
One of the professors in speaking of
the state of affairs said: 81 belong to q
fraternity, have worked for my frater-
nifty, but as to bringing the matter of fra
ternity or not fraternity into college poll
athletics just as it did this fall. Let a
good athletic board be elected and the
university can next year be placed in
the TOP notch of Western college athlet-
les. If not, down we will 60"