Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-08-09
LETTER FROM RATION.
The Gate City Wants Its Base Bal
Clnb and Band Here for the Fair.
POINTERS FOR PRESIDENT O'RlELLY.

izen, Albuquerque, n. NJ.
Dear Sir-You may be somewhat
surprised at receiving so singular a
letter from a total stranger, but when
| explain to you that | am a base ball
friend you, no doubt will overlook the
temerity on my part. When | say base
ball crank OF friend, | mean it in the
troadest acceptation of the term. If
you are at all familiar with the game
you will readily understand the
idiosyncracies of a fan, rooter, etc.
The average person that attends a ball
game and roots from beginning to end
comes as nearly being crazy as the
circumstances will permit. Such in
dividuals ought to be provided with a
guardian. or else, not be aSowed to
roam at large. However, as they are
not responsible for their acts when in
this peculiar condition the public gives
them the benefit of the doubt. They
are worse than a poet who lives in
two worlds; and Great Caesar" re-
member me in his prayer, If that isn't
awful | don't want a seat in the next
to come; just a base ball one will suit
me.
Beg your pardon, Mr.. McCreight for
wandering off of my subject. but what
| wanted to get at is this: | have
been in the territory for several years,
and have been in Albuquerque several
times but never when the territorial
fair was held. Judging from what .
have read and heard of it | am dis
POSED to think it has always been a
success One thing | am aware of
Albuquerque has the reputation of do
ing things right whenever she puts
her shoulder to the wheel and pushes.
That is more han some of her sister
towns can claim. AS the of
the territory are of a limited nature,
it is not to be expected that the ex-
hibits are sufficiently attractive to
draw the great number of visitors that
attend so regularly. While some of
the exhibits are of a unique character,
still, in the main, the greater portion
consist of the general run of exhibits
that are to be found usually at county
fairs. This is not giving Albuquerque
the worst of the. proposition; and as a
fair minded person | believe you will
agree with me. Consequently there
must be some other attraction; it may
be boss racing, it may be the
streets of Cairo, and then it may be
the dear old game of base ball, so dear
to the hearts of the average, healthy
American; amt it?
know it is something. and with all
due respect to the first named two,
can't help thinking but what it must be
the last of the three that acts as a
magnet in bringing people from all
over the territory when Albuquerque
holds her annual fall celebration.
Therefore, taking it for granted | am
correct in my reasoning, can you
blame me? Can you blame anyone?
Not by a long shot Especially when
it is taken into consideration the char
acter of the attraction-base ball
teams composed of the best talent
taken from the American and National
league teams contesting for a good
purse.
Those ball players have been play
ing all season and are, as a rule, in
the pink of condition, and therefore
prepared to put up a game fit for the
Gods to witness. o, it's a corker, |
don't wonder the people of the terri
tory u out when accorded such a
treat; do you? Guess | will have to
ask some member of Raton's "Rube''
band. Another element that contrib
utes to Albuquerque's success is the
way she treats her visitors. have
never heard her spoken of only in
the highest of terms. AS a result
everybody is anxious to go again.
Sometime ago | was told by a gen.
tleman in Ration that he was cores.
ponding with your executive commit
tee with a view to taking the Ration
'Rube" band to Albuquerque for the
fair. Now let me tell you the 'Rube'
band is all right, all right, so it is; and
the way they will surprise the ma
tives in their unique dress. drill and
two step ~wanderings. will send the
First Regiment and Military bands TO
cover in quicker time than Carrie Ma
tion made with her little Ratchet CD
after a Kansas horse oil peddler.
This proposition of the bands fur
nished me with an idea, G? and
thought | would put it to you in the
form of a suggestion. Making the
claim that the strongest attraction at
the fair is the base ball games made
up of professional talent, why would
it not be a good idea for the executive
committee to offer a purse for the am
ateur teams of the territory to contest
for? There is some good home talent
distributed throughout the territory.
There are five or six towns, say Al
buquerque, Socorro, Gallup, Santa Fe,
Las Vegas and Ration. These towns all
have teams that can put up a good ar
ticle of fast ball; not to be compared
with professional | will admit, but just
the same they play ball because they