The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-18
EXCUSE FOR NoTicoMINe UP,
SAY THEY DID Mob RECEIVE couR-
TEoUs TREAIbiENT AT MINNIE
TONKA LXsr YEAR.
WHAT FACTS IN THE CASE ARE.
They Asked for The Earth and 1t
Was rendered f'heM-LocaI Men
Chag'rined.

action of the Wisconsin university navy
in declaring against the annual race
this summer for the Schlitz cup, as
told in the G o b e Of yesterday, when
word was received over the wires that
the Badger navy council in reaching
this determination based it's action on
discourteous treatment of the Wiscon-
sin crew by the Minnesota Boat club
men and the Twin City newspapers at
Minnetonka last July.
The st. Paul oarsmen resent this i'm
putatioh on their idea of hospitality
with considerable vigor, and express
the view that had the Wisconsin men
believed this unwarranted statement
would be made public, they would not
have uttered it.
why, If the Minnesota men had cud-
geled their brains for an adequate ex-
cuse for their action in pulling out, this
would have been the last one thought
Of is the way Capt. Jim" Denegre ex-
pressed himself about the matter yes
terday when shown a brief dispatch
from Madison on the subject. Con-
tinuing, he said:
During the entire length of their
visit to this race last year nothing was
left undone to make their stay pleas
ant one. Capt Wann, of the Minneso-
tas, was ably seconded by his men and
citizens and friends generally in the
efforts to provide suitable entertain
ment for the Badger oarsmen, and this,
too, in spite of the fact that one or two
experiences showed that some of the
visitors were not possessed of that nice
idea of the proprieties which might
have been expected in university men.
''It has been the custom for the
Lafayette management to furnish COM
plimentary entertainment to visiting
crews for one week before the date Of
the race. The Wisconsin men, prior to
starting from home, wrote and asked
for two weeks, but were told by Capt.
HolcOmbe that this was hardly posi-
BILE, but that he would stretch it from
a week to a fortnight. In spite Of this
the Wisconsin men arrived at the hotel
in their private car with fourteen men
exactly two weeks before the date of
the race, dumped out their effects and
dismissed the car. Through the efforts
of the members of the Minnesota club,
the honors for the entire two weeks, a
thing which had never before been
done. The men We're quartered on the
ground floor next the local oarsmen,
but upon the request of their captain
for better quarters, they We're promptly
given a suite of rooms on the second
floor of the hotel, the best rooms in the
house.
''They do not appear to have appreci-
ated this. - 1t is at once an unjust and
unwarranted affront to put upon the
st. Paul men, who are nothing if Lot
hospitable. 1t was low of them to
give any such false statement regard
ing the reception and treatment accord
ed them in Minnesota, knowing it would
be wired throughout the country"
Capt. Denegre joins with some of his
fellow oarsmen in thinking this excuse
for failure to row this year is just
trif1e 'fishy," and that the real reason
is that the Wisconsin men are not es-
pecially anxious to meet Minnesota on
the water. What confirms the first
notion is that in no instance. in the
correspondence which has passed be-
tween Denegre and Capt. L. F. Austin.
of the Wisconsin navy, has any ref
erence been made to this alleged dis
courtesy, but on the other hand Capt.
Austin expressed the hope in his letter
of May that plans for the race could
be satisfactorily made. Any delay
there might be, he adds, would result
from the uncertainty as to the exact
date of the New Haven race with Yale,
when the Fasteners beat the Badgers
out of their boots In this letter he
says he thinks the last OF June or
the first part of July would be the
best time for the event.
Capt. Denegre, assuming the Wiscon-
sin men recognized from the provi-
sions of the deed of the Schlitz cup
that the event must be held annually,
wrote to Madison on May Is, and again
on June 5, and on June s. A reply
was received from Capt. Austin in
which he says the navy council was to
meet in day or two. and the result
of the meeting would be forwarded to
ST. Paul. In this letter Austin speaks
of having promptly replied to Capt
Denegre'S former letter, but Capt.
Denegre Winks and says that very few
letters go astray these days.
Failing to- hear the result of the
meeting promptly Capt. Denegre wrote
twice, and day or two ago received
a brief formal note from Manager
Waite, who expressed regret that Capt.
Austin had not advised the ST. Paul
men Of the action taken, and conveyed
the information that at the meeting,
held June 10, it had been decided not
to row the race with Minnesota
The st. Paul men say simply that
there was no discourtesy and no
chance for the statement from even
the most fastidious visitors, let alone
dozen men who plainly were not up
on the ethics of thorough going sports
manlike treatment. The st. Paul men
aver that if this excuse had been
thought of sooner, for it was evident
that until the meeting no such excuse
was formally adopted, the ST. Paul men
should have been notified, in order
either to give up training or arrange
for other regatt&s during the height
of the rowing seasoni1in the West.
The Minnesota eight has been faith
fully at work since April. and, although
the final make-up"of the crew has not
yet been decided Upon, IA cracking crew
is available ando' would be for the
glorious Fourth Z -
AS the matter stands, Capt Denegre
will today officially convey to the
Badgers the views held by the Mime
sofa oarsmen onq the subject of the
rather questionable course they have
taken to avoid a facei' The conditions
Of the Schlitz cup areiithat it shall be
rowed for annually until one crew
shall have won itSthree times, when it
shall become the personal property of
that crew. Minnesota has won it
twice and Wisconsin Nonce. last year,
when, it will be remembered. the Min
nesota crew was forced to row the last
half mile of the race through the
swash of the excursion boats, only to
be beaten out at the finish by a scant
six feet.
Plans will probably be made to get