The Tucson citizen., 1902-08-21

impure and defiled English when they
engage in a controversy for advertising
purposes. But our sporting plutocrats
ought not to indulge in ugly person
alities when they are angry with each
other. The world expects better
things of them. They set bad ex-
ample to plain people Hence Mr..
Thomas w Lawsons bitter attack up
on his fellow sportsmen of the New
York Yacht Club Will cause pain and
surprise in gilded sporting circles.
Mr.. Lawson is a very wealthy Bos-
tonian who takes an active interest IN
the copper market for intellectual
recreation. In 1901, when Sir Thomas
Upton came over to the United States
to make his second attempt to capture
the Americas cup, Mr.. Lawson built a
yacht, the Independence, at his own
expense. and offered to defend the cup.
The New York Yacht Club did not
treat the Bostonian with the consider
alton to which he thought himself en-
titled. 1t refused to regard the cup
races as a free-for-al1 contest, open to
any American who had the money TO
build a yacht. The club demanded
that Mr.. Lawson should convey mis-
yacht to the association Of yachtsm IN
which has the custody of the cup.
The Bostonian Indignantly rejected this
proposal. He had not spent mis-
money in Building the Independent TO
add to the glory of Gotham's pluto
cratic sports. Rather than bend the
knee to the New Workers, he said, he
would make firewood of his noble
yacht. The Gothamites declined 10
modify their terms. The Indepen-
dence must sail under their colors
and direction, or not sail at all. The
Independence did not defend the cup:
the plutocratic New Workers matched
their own yacht against Sir Thomas
Upton and won. The cup is still oll
this side of the Atlantic.
Mr.. Lawson is now having his re-
venge He has written book, which
was published in Boston a week or ten
days ago. in which he mercilessly f1ays
the yachtsmen of Gotham. The Bos-
tonian's reputation heretofore has
rested chiefly upon his achievements
as a financier and speculator, and his
inability on one memorable occasion
to corner the copper market. Now the
laurels of authorship adorn his brow.
We have not yet had an opportunity 10
see his book, but from reviews of 1t
published in the eastern papers, we
should Judge that Mr.. Lawson dipped
his pen in vitriol. We gather from
extracts from the book published IN
the newspapers that Rome in its most
corrupt period was as pure as the
beautiful snow compared with the
Yachting society of New York. Mr.
Lawson prefaces his attack on the gild-
ed sports of New York with interesting
philosophical observations on the ele-
ments which compose American So
ciety. From the classes which origin
ally settled America and laid The
foundations of the country's greatness
there sprang two others, which the
Bostonian describes as a democratic
aristocracy of wealth and a democratic
aristocracy of sports These classes
were "all right" and Mr.. Lawson ex-
presses the highest admiration for
them. Later there was evolved
mushroom aristocracy," for which the
Bostonian feels the utmost loathins
and contempt If we may take hi:
|, word for it, the mushroom aristoc-
racy' dominates the New York Yach
Club Mr.. Lawson then proceeds te
roast this ''aristocracy'' in language
that blisters and burns.
Perhaps" he writes, never in tn
history of the world has there been {
? class so powerful for evil as this. Will
J desire to rule society, it has put il
force a gigantic system for gaining it
} own ends through the corruption 0
5 the peoples political leaders, etc.
In only one phase of life did it finC
itself balked and powerless-in sports
l Natural towards, queer in body an'
perverted in mind, because of a low G
l vicious order of ancestry, this clas
e could not take active part in thos
e things which have for their foundation
courage, manliness and well-propor
toned bodies, and their wealth coul'
not buy, their cunning steal, nor thei
/ power seize those things which natur
r alone can give Nevertheless, oc
cording to Mr. Lawson, this class grad
uaIly obtained control of the Ne1
York Yacht Club, until it is now all
powerful in that famous organiZatio!
Fifty years ago. says the Bostonian, t
I. u