The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-15
HENLEY STEWARDS
ARE CONDEMNED
~
|EngliShmen Do Not Approve of
Their Action in Barring
Foreign Crews.
ENGLAND TO REGAIN CUP
WILL NOT LET PRESENT HOLD
ERs COMPETE AGAIN.
ENGLAND TO REGAIN CUP
BY RICHARD pAhLaREN.


london, Dec. 14.-If England has
failed in regaining the fghting cham
pionship, there is one title she seems
likely to recover, and that is the grand
challenge cup, which stands for the su-
premacy in rowing, so far as eight
cared crews are concerned. 1t is true
that there are very many Englishmen
that do not fancy much the manner in
which the cup will come back to Eng
land.
The crew of the Sport Nautique de
Gand of Belgium has won the trophy
two years in succession now. and judg-
ing from the entries at the Henley re-
gatta they would have more than an
even chance of winning it for the third
time.
This possibility, however, has been
met by the Henley regatta stewards by
the simple method OF barring all foreign
crews from the competition this year.
The ostensible reason for this is that
the Olympic regatta, TO be held later in
the season, viii give the foreigners an
opportunity and hence they should be
barred from the Henley event.
BeIgians Cannot Understand.
1t is difficult for the Belgians, and
! in fact for any lover of fair play, TO
follow ais course of reasoning, but
[the>><cIion of the stewards probably
III stand, despite the movement which
is now on foot among some British men
s TO secure an exception in the case of
the holders OF the cup. Captain Frank
Beddington, the noted authority on row
fling, voices the sentiments of the best
element among British rowing men
when he says:
The Grand challenge cup for eight
oars. was established in 1889. since
which date it has been competed for
ANNUALLY. 1t was won for the first time
10y a foreign crew in 1906, and the cup
was again won by representatives OF
the same foreign country in 1907, who
are not TO be allowed to defend it in
1905
Some of the arguments put for
ward by the defenders of the Henley
stewards border on Childishness, the
dominant note being the Olympic
games regatta. It is well for every
body to understand that the Olympic
=games regatta has nothing whatever
in this world TO do with the Henley
regatta First, the conditions are
not the same; second, the course is not
the same; third, the trophies are not
the same.
The Henley regatta was instituted
in the year 1889 and was practically in
those days a sort of institution regatta,
and gradually, as invitations continued
Ito be extended further aield, it be-
came invested with almost information
al interest. Ultimately FOL ign entries
were invariably accepted, if of a salts
Factory amateur status and made on OF
before June l.
Foreigners Are Welcomed.
Foreign competitors have always
been extremely welcome at Henley,
and everybody over here was looking
forward to seeing the Belgians again in
1908. In the year 1906, il viii be re-
membered Leander did not put on a
crew. That year the Belgians won the
Grand Challenge cup.
'The Grand Challenge cup is a per
.petual challenge cup, and no one in
this world can for one moment sug-
gest that holders of a perpetual chal-
lenge cup have not the moral right to
defend il. 1t is impossible TO defend
the action of the Henley stewards on
! anZ>Sfound whatever. That is my
1T may be said, however, for these
4 III advised gentlemen that when they
passed Their resolution the seriousness
: of their act did not occur TO them.
1.-The world should be Informed as
/ quickly as possible that the English
people were until quite recently entire
y unaware of what had been done, and
now it is to be hoped that public feel
/ ng will carry the day and that the
! glorious traditions of the past viii not
- be destroyed by the action of a few
| misguided individuals.
THE same spirit still dominates the
conduct of all things English as here
tofore. and foreign nations may rest
assured that sport in the British isles
viii be conducted on the same honor
able principles as before"