The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-18
ANACONDA NE WIS.
new FOOTBALL TIMBER
Reliance Men Who Will Battle
for Anaconda.
CLIPPED FROM THE "CALL"
The San Francisco Paper Contains an
Article That Is Interesting, Although
a Little Wild-Big Wages That
the Players Are Getting.

The following article is clipped from the
Can Francisco Call which came in yester-
day. The statements contained therein
are true to only a certain extent. Parts
of it will cause smile at the ideas con-
corning this section that obtain in Cali
fornia:
''rhe nucleus of the Reliance football
team may very soon move to Anaconda,
Mont, for permanent residence and
steady and lucrative employment.
Anaconda is the rival town of Butte.
1t has caught the football fever ihat
Butte contracted three years ago.
LAS an immediate result of the recent
visit to Butte of the Reliance eleven three
of the players at once accepted positions
offered them in the neighboring mining
town of Anaconda So they remained in
Montana while their companions returned
to San Francisco
.McHugh. tackle; Bert oliver, guard,
and Arlett, fullback. We're the three men
who stad and became citizens of Ana
conda. McHugh is working in the mines
at So per day. Oliver is doing assaying at
sl2 day. Arlett following his trade, is
getting Sc IA day as brickiayer. and,
though he is a strict church member and
a Christian Endeavorer, he proposes it is
said to work every day in the month.
His first break for "A good impression with
his prospective employer was made in
Butte, when he consented to play in the
Sunday football match between Reliance
and Butte
Pete Smith, Sexton Hobbs Tommy
Code and Sheehy are all willing and ready
to transfer their allegiance to Anaconda,
provided they can be assured of perma-
ent positions sufficiently more remunera-
tive than those they are now occupying
in this city. They are waiting to hear
from Anaconda. Under the circumstances
they would like to spend the next four
or five years i'll Anaconda.
There are probably other football vet
Grams that would, under similar condi-
tions. not be averse to changing their
residence to the enterprising young min
ing town.
Leading up to this importation of foot
ball talent into Montana there is u story
of the rivalry and the patronage of two
multi-millionaires. In that mining dis
trict of which Butte is the center, every
person that makes his living directly or
indirectly from the mines is supposed to
he either "A Clark man or "a Daily man.
according to which of the great mining
magnates he favors.
CLARK 1t will be remembered is the
generous good angel who first stood
behind the Butte football club, and paid
the expenses in the seasons of "a and '95
when the Butte team took long trips in
private car. 1t was through this early
support and influence that football was
fostered in Butte and eventually became
wild and novel delight to the thousands
of big, hardy miners. The whole eommu-
nifty was for the gridiron game, and
cry player was popular favorite. So it
easily came about that several football
men went to Butte, and through the in
ffuence of Millionaire Clark and the CO.
operation of Butte business men secured
good positions in the town.
Among the first to go to Butte from
this coast was George Mcmillan. then
captain of Reliance and formerly a Stan
ford guard. Percy Benson, then quarter
back and for two seasons captain of the
Berkeley varsity. followed Big jim
Hooper. the red-headed giant from the
University of Michigan. had settled in
Butte a little earlier lie soon induced
Hall, the giant Michigan guard-since de-
clared professional athlete-to come to
Butte. And these two Michigan men. while
in this city with the Butte team in the
winter of a5 met Dygert, young law
Yer and former Michigan halfbaek, and
easily persuaded him TO go back with
them to Butte and there hang out his
Single. 1t was in this way that the
Butte football club. recruited by many
powerful and willing miners, turned out
formidable team that for two seasons
practically overpowered all opponents
from the Mississippi river to the Pacific
ocean.
With the withdrawal last year of Mil
lionaire Clarf's patronage the power of
Butte began to decline. The Butte-Olym-
pic charity game fiasco in this city on last
New Years day eventually had almost as
bad an effect upon Butte as it did upon
Olympic. For while the Olympic club by
drawing out of the Amateur Athletic
union cut itself and its team off from all
inter-club contests Butte was officially
debarred for alleged professionalism.
only recently and by special vote Butte
/ was restored to amateur standing In the
meantime, however. Mcmillan, the cap
tain, Hoover, the ex-captain. and Hall,
the unrestored professional, had left
Butte"