The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-13
COMMITTEE WILL RESIGN.
DESIGNATIONS OF SAILING COMMIT
TEE OF YACHT CLUB.

Action of the Club in OverruIiRg
Their Decision in the Matter of the
Marie the Cause of the Trouble.
designations Have Been some
Days in COntempIatiOn-Chai
simIsins Gives His Version of the
DinicuIty-He Did Not say the
Marie's Owners Packed the Meet
ing-Au Parties Anxious That the
Question Be Permitted TO Rest.
The members of the sailing committee
of the Savannah Yacht Club have pre-
pared and signed their resignatiors as
committeeman. and they Will be forward
ed this morning to Commodore Starr.
They would have been sent in yesterday,
but for the absence from the city of Mr..
Norman Beckett, one of the members Of
the committee, and the consequent ina
bility OF his colleagues to secure his sigma
ture lie has, however, seen the docu-
ment that has been prepared, and con-
sented and agreed to its statements of
fact aud the matter of securing his sig
nature is a mere Formally that vii be
compiled with, and the resignation will be
meailed or handed TO the commodore dur
ing the morning.
The committeeman have had the
rendering Of their designations under con
sideration since last Friday, when the
Cub reversed the decision Of the commit
tee IN the matter of the Marie, and award
ed that yacht The frst-class in the regatta
race for boats of the second class. BY
this decision the committee felt that the
club had terminated its usefulness, and
that there was no longer a reason for
continuing in a capacity that the club
evidently believed it was not capable Of
fling 10 the best advantage and in a
manner that would best subserve the IN
terests of yachting in Savannah.
For this reason the designations are de-
termlned upon and the letter embodying
them was prepared. Had it not been for
the absence OF Mr.. Beckett it would nave
been ere this in the hands OF the COM
modore as viii be the case to-day The
committee is averse to giving out the con-
tents OF the letter prior TO its receipt by
Commodore Starr, but it is stated that 1t
is short and that few comments are made
on the action OF the club in the action
taken last Friday. An expression of the
committees conviction that 1t could not
act properly when the club rule that its
decision should be final can be ignored
ana Overturned Is about the only addition
made 10 its purely formal elements.
The members of the sailing committee,
as at present constituted, are Messrs. w.
l.. simkins, Albert Wylly, A. II. Mac
Donen and Norman Beckett. Mr.. Sim
kins. the chairman of the committee, was
seen by a Morning News reporter yes
ter5ay and asked 20 give some statement
Of the reasons underlying the resignation
and the position taken by himself ana his
colleagues.
THE matter is simply this" said MIR.
Simkins. THE committee has acted
throughout the unpleasant controversy
that mas arisen by reason of the Marie
having been ruled out Of the race in en-
tire good faith and with no other object
in view than to give complete justice to
all parties. our reasons for making the
decision that we did, as vel as our rea-
sons for not making this decision prior to
the race, have already been given in the
Morning News. and it is useless TO go into
them at greater length. There is no man
in Savannah who knows the members of
the committee who will say that our d.
cision was inspired by any improper mo-
tive and there is no unprejudiced yachts
man who has examined the structure
aboard the Marie who will not agree with
US that il does not entitle her to be classed
a
or any other class.
The rules say that our decision in such
matters should be final, but we do not
care 20 hide behind the protection of such
rule We are as convinced now, as we
were when we made the decision, that it
is just and right, and that had we acted
IN any other manner we would not have
performed our duty TO the club. Now,
when this decision is reversed by the votes
OF members "a ms Or Of ur,o
are entirely unfamiliar with the structurs
aboard the Marie and could give no defiu-
ite reason for voting either the one way
or the other, our vocation is terminated
and our usefulness 10 the club al an end.
For this reason we viii resign"
Il notice in a published interview with
me that / am quoted as saying that the
meeting al which the decision of the COM
mittee was reversed was packed" by Mr..
Strachan and his friends. This
statement does me an injustice, and casts
an imDuJatiOn upon the owners of the
Marie that l never intended and which !
did not voice. l did say that the members
of the committee had made no effort ia
secure the attendance of their friends
and that in contradstinction to this
course it looked as though the other side
had. / ventured no criticism upon their
action in doing SO and certainly never In
tended 40 say or to intimate that they
had done anything not entirely consistent
with a gentlemaniy and sportsman like
regard for their interests. Our criticism
IS not against the owners of the Marie OF
their friends, and our one position is thai
we have in doing what we thought ant
still think was our duty, been reprovet
by the club. in q manner that renders il
impossible for us to serve longer as mem
bers of the sailing committee"
Mr. Frank d. Nj. Strachan. when asket
TO define further the position of the own
ers of the Marie, said that he was verl
well content to allow the question to sleep
feeling as he did. that his fellow owner
of the Marie. their position and that o
himself had been entirely and completed,
vindcated by the action of the club. "Bu
/ will say said Mr.. Strachan, that an,
statement that we endeavored to pack tn
meeting of the club at which the matte
was discussed aud determined is as ride
ulous as 1t is untrue. The meeting wa
advertised in the daily papers for severa
days before 1t was held and every mem
Der of the club had ample notice aud coul
have been present had he so desired M