The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-01
CASPAR WON'T COME
Whitney Declines Manager McMillan'S
Pressing Invitation.
THE CRITIC WILL GO EAST
He Says II Would Be a Waste of
Time to Offer any More Proof
of the Butte Teams Pro-
fessional inclination.

Caspar Whitney has declined Manag-
er McMillan's pressing invitation to
visit Butte and in the same breath,
without seeking any information of a
definite and honest nature regarding
the conditions which govern football
in this city, he declares that the Butte
football team Is the only one OF all
those that he has criticised. that Is be-
yond redemption. His visit to San
Francisco has caused him to revise his
criticism Of the Reliance and Olympic
teams. but through either ignorance or
prejudice he insists that the Butte
team is the most striking illustration
of how far professionalism can be car
ried.
The following is from Thursdays
San Francisco Examiner:
"Caspar Whitney will leave for the
East this evening. There is but one
of all the football teams he has crit
icised that he considers beyond re-
demption, and that is Buttes. Speak
ing of IL last night at the Palace, he
said: Here is a telegram which has
been forwarded TO me from George
Mcmillan, manager of the Butte team,
TO the president of the Seattle Athletic
club: Ask Whitney 10 stop i'm Butte
and prove his charges Of professional
ism against the Butte team; If so an
swer'
1T is impossible for me to go north
now, but / wish | could stop at Butte,
not to prove the charges. but to at
tempt the almost hopeless task of edu-
eating Mr.. Mcmillan i'm good sport OF
course the telegram is simply a blum,
and is in keeping with what they have
been doing all the time. Ii would be
waste of time to offer any more proof
of the Butte teams tending toward pro-
fessionalism. IL is the most striking
illustration of how far IL can be car
ried and shows what evils are possible.
No doubt there are men in the team
who are legitimate amateurs, but most
of them are gathered from other places.
They have men from Denver, Portland
and other cities, who were given lucra-
tive positions for playing with the
Buttes. Mcmillan is from Oakland and
was secured at a good salary after he
had played fast and loose with the Re-
lance and Olympic teams. But really
IL is waste of time to discuss the
status of that team.
THE condition of athletics in the Uni
ted States was never so encouraging as
IL is at present. This is due largely to
the stand taken by the different college
faculties in insisting upon clean sport,
and the general refinement of athletics
among undergraduates. The most en-
couraging sign is that the decent ele-
ments i'm the athletic clubs have finally
rebelled and determined to have clean
athletics or none. The clubs have run
the gamut of all possible reprehensible
methods and found that they did not
pay. Here, the investigating commit
tee of the Pacific Athletic association
and it's work is the most encouraging
sign of the times. wave of reforma-
ton has set i'm all over the country.
OF course. l do not mean to say that
athletics were senerally so rotten, but
many evil tendencies were at work
college athletics here have always
been clean. and IL is TO them that the
interest taken in amateur athletics on
the coast is due The team sent on by
the University of California last year
surprised the East and made good
impression. The men were clean
wholesome lot OF true amateurs. But
| would not advise sending on team
every year. Ii is apt to take up too
much time and attention needed for
college work. Probably in time IL viii
be arranged for the winners of the Pa
cific coast the winners of the eastern
and the winners of middle western In
tercollegiate field days TO meet. say at
n