Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1905-11-23
FOR CLEAN AND
MANLY FOOTBALL
President Roosevelt Takes Time t,
Discuss the Matter.
WANTS THE GAME CONTINUED
Brutality and Foul Play should Re
eeive the Same Punishment as
Cheating Mt Cards or striking
Foul In Boxing.

Philadelphia, Nov. 21.--Dr. ]. Will.
lam White, professor of surgery at the
University Of Pennsylvania and a mem.
Der Of the university committee on
athletics, has returned from Washing
ton, where he had been summoned by
President Roosevelt to discuss matters
relating to football. In an interview,
DR. White said:
THE president did me the honor Of
asking me to lunch with him at the
White House for the purpose of dis
cussing with him the situation as to
American football. An article of mine
published in last weeks Outlook was
the occasion Of the invitation.
scope of the Discussion.
"As to what took place during mJ
visit, the president has permitted me tc
say that we are in complete accord as
to the need of the permanent abolition
of brutality and foul play; of the in
crease NJ the powers of the officials,
Rh~ Of the severity Of the penalties as
being necessary to bring about such
abolition; as to the desirability of care.
full consideration of any changes in
the rules that may be required to mini.
mize danger while preserving the es-
sential, manly and vigorous character.
istics of the game, and as to the urg-
ent need of earnest effort to secure a
simple and uniform eligibility code for
all American colleges and universities
The president said he emphatically be-
lieves in continuing the game
Brutality Should be Punished.
"The president added: Brutality and
foul play should receive the same pun
ishment given to a man who cheats at
cards, who strikes a foul blow in box
ing. The umpire must have the wild
est latitude in enforcing this principle,
even to the extent of ordering not only
individual players, but whole teams off
the field, and college presidents should
hold to the sharpest accountability the
umpire who permits foul or brutal
football in any game. We want simple
rules, not complicated rules, because
complicated rules offer too many. loop
holes.
A GentIemRn's Agreement.
The responsible authorities of tn,
several colleges whose teams play to-
gether should have what may be called
a gentleman's agreement among them.
selves that these rules should be en-
forced in spirit as we'll as in letter,
each being responsible for what goes
on in their own colleges, and each see
Ing to the permanent removal from the
game not only of the foul or brutal
player, but Of the man who is not
bona fide student and amateur. 1t
would be a real misfortune to lose so
manly aud vigorous a game as football,
and to avert such a possibility, the
college authorities in each college
should see to it that the game in that
college is clean.
The President Explained.
1.-THE president explained to me the
selection of the institutions that came
to the White House last month by say
ing:
4 was asked to call it by represent
tatives of Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
and l called it accordingly. If Penn
sylvania, Columbia and Cornell repre-
sentatives happened to make the sug
gestion, then only those three colleges
would have been asked.
Desires the Game Continued.
"He spoke more than once of the de-
STABILITY of continuing the game and
Of extending to as many as possible its
advantages with the safeguards al
ready mentioned. He said that FIVE or
six leading colleges should get together
and agree to play one another under
such agreement as he prescribed. He
also spoke of the far greater relative
danger Of other sports and pastimes,
some of which he enumerated. He
showed Enthusiastically keen interest
in and thorough acquaintance with the
whole subject"