The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-22
OLD COMPLAINT.
Dunraven Speaks of the Defender.
vojkyrie UnpIeasantness.
FORCED TO PUBLISH PAMPHLET
To Clear His Own Position to
the Fair Minded.

dents of this city last night publicly pre-
sented to Lord Dunraven a silver model OF
Valkyrie III. The inscription on the base
OF the model, which was approved by Lord
Dunraven, is as follows: Presented at
Cardiff, Nov. 81, 1895, to the Earl of Dun
raven, KIP, by his neighbors and friends
in recognition of his gallant efforts TO
bring home the Americas cup"
Lord Dunraven, replying to the gentle.
men who made the presentation, re-
marked that his occasion was one of the
happiest moments Of his life, and proceed
ing, he said: II have passed through a
very trying experience, and I adopted q
certain course because 1t was my plain
duty. / fully realized that this purse was
likely TO be widely misunderstood and
that it would entail upon me much anx'
iety. / anticipated that my words would
be twisted, my actions misunderstood and
all sorts of false motives attributed to me.
My a~nticipatlons have been amply full
filed"
After touching upon the important In
fluence OF yachting upon n seafaring ma
ton, Lord Dunraven said: Yacht rae
ing is a glorious game, and, like all other
games, IL must be played in strict accord
ance with strict rules. Again and again
/ tried TO impress this upon those man.
aging the races, and / venture to think
that IL they had listened n little more Sc.
riously. it would have been better for all,
certainly better for me, and i should never
have been compelled 10 act in n way
which was most distasteful u yne, and
many q hard woro and some bitter feeling
would have been 'obviated.
Upheld British Tradition For Fair Play.
'Ir is due to you, who have paid mo the
highest possible compliment in expressing
confidence On the belief hat / acted in q
way not unworthy of the honorable tradi-
tions OF British sport, that l should say a
few words on the subject of the complaint
/ made that Defender sailed the first race
more deeply immersed, and consequently
with a longer water line, than according
TO the measurement she was entitled to
sail with.
II have not made an accusation against
anybody. l mentioned "a fact that De
fender sailed the first race more deeply inn
mersed than when she was measured the
day previously, aud l gave my reasons for
so thinking. OF that fact / have not had
and have not the slightest doubt. Whether
AM right or wrong is a matter of opin-
ion, and must, / fear, always remain SO,
seeing hat the only possible opportunity
of absolutely proving or disproving the
justice Of my complaint was not utilized.
ut is absurd to pretend that I was ac-
tuated by spite or pique, because my YES
sci was beaten, for l made the complaint
/ before the first race was started, and l
made IL TO Latham Fish, a member OF the
committee, who was also Defenders rep
reseDtative on Valkyrie. asked that
both vessels DO remeasured immediately,
marked externally. and that the commit
tee take charge of them until they were
remeasured, that heing=surely every man
of sense must see the only possible means
for efficient investigation and authori6a-
tive decision upon the question.
IL, myself, in the presence of three on
four other gentlemen, had a long talk on
the subject with the official measurer of
the New York Yacht club. There was no
concealment in the matter. The official
measurer, all the people belonging to
Valkyrie, all those on Defender and the
committee knew about my complaint, and
yet the attempt is now made to prejudice
me in the eyes of two countries by accus-
ing Inc of making from the security of
my home an entirely new charge which
did not dare to make on the other side Of
the Atlantic, anu i onargs stigmatized Us
almost a gross and deliberate insult.
"Why those Interested in Defender did
not insist that immediate steps be taken
to prove the groundlessness OF my COM
plant, / do not know. The fact remains
hat the necessary steps were not taken.
/ could not prove my case. II could only
be proved by the committee, and the COM
mittee having neglected to secure proof
one way or the other, there was nothing
left for me to do.
Averse to Publicity.
"A a matter of fact, l believed the sub
jeot would not be publicly mentioned In
New York. and tool measures to pre-
vent its publicly being mentioned here.
But, to my surprise, the committee re.
ported upon 1t to the New York Yacht
club. and the club gave the report TO the
public press. Reading the facts as they
are set oyt in that report, anyone would
suppose that my complaint vas disproved
by the results of the emeasurements
though, obviously, that was not the case.
and l could not by silence appear TO coun.
tenancc such an erroneous conclusion.
ut has been said that / should have re-.
fused to start in the first race until the
vessels were r~omeasured, and have broken
Off the contest altogether. The race was
about to be started, some go 900 people
were out on some 200 steamers, and /
should nave had 10 get my boat out, pull
aboard the committees vessel, refuse to
start, and should have been accused by the
public and press of unwillingness to sail
because the weather was not suited to me.
and deliberate rudeness toward a great
multitude OF people, who bad paid to see
the race.
Bear in mind that l have gained the
great point that the vessels were ordered
10 be plainly and visibly marked extcr-
Dally. Now, is IL not strange that IL my
complaint can legitlmately boar the helm
Gus complexion now placed upon IL no
Indignation was expressed when II was
made in September?
'AsI have already offered, l will at any
Inconvenience TO myself do the best 20 as
sist the club, even IL IL involves visiting
America. The club will do its utmost 10
sift the matter thoroughly and impastially.
That Is quite certain.