The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-08-14
AMERICANS HAD
4 SQUARE DEAL
Memphis Athlete Who Wit
messed Olympic Games,
Expresses Opinion.

That reports must have been tiuct-
ured with d desire TO cause people on
this side 10 regard with suspicion the
adverse results encountered by the
American athletes in the recent con
tests in London al the Olympic games
Is the opinion expressed ny W. G.
Alexander. Billy as he Is known
among the football baseball and ten
mis- players of Memphis, says the
Memphis Commercial Appeal This
sterling young athlete. who was the
ruHner-Up in the all-Memphis tennis
championship year ago, and who
has ShOne in football and track atL-
leuCs for several years, being a great
JackleT, a good end rush. good
shOrtStOp and a game cindeT pat
man. as well as one of the best in
door gymuaStS IT the Y N 9 A. has
just returned from London He has
nothing but kind words TO say for
the English IN their treatment OF the
Americans the team which included
Ralph Rose. almost a seif-aCknOwi-
edged professional, and other Amer1-
cans who have. according ito popular
belief engaged in amateur athletics
for financial gain. which should have
made them ineligible for competition
at the international games offered
for simon pure amateurs only
For some reason" says Aiexan-
der. there appears to have been a
desire tC belttIe British spOrtsmen.
This want of fairness. especially to-
ward Americans, has been so hashed
AMI rehaShed, extended and magni-
led till. TO tHc average lover Of anna
teur sports. the name EnEIishmau
stands for everything unsenerOus AMI
prcjUjiced.
Take the Olympic contests. for ex-
ample IL was my good fortune 40 be
a spectator of the games in the sta
dunn, and my i'll fortune 10 read ac-
counts OF them in a Paris edition OF
New York paper and in American
editions of others In no way did 1
see anything that Savored of favor
itism either in the drawing for heats
or in the running or Judging of them
yet protest after protest OF the most
Childish and trivial kind were IeveIed
at the officials in charge
For example: When the Liverpool
police tUE-of-war team easily output
ed the United States team. consisting
OF such giant athletes as Sheridan.
Flanagan, Rowe, etc. the American
trainer lodged protest, basing his
complaint on the shoes that the pu-
HCemen wore. The real cause was
injured armour prOpre, for the shoes
used were clearly within the WpII-de-
fined rules II is a significant fact
hat the protest was made after the
contest The Swedish competitors.
beaten by these same Liverpool men,
shook hands with their cOnqueTors
=. Invariably sat in the English
section, and thus was able to get a
good idea of the general feeling OF
he English for Americans. Not
once did ! hear, even in times OF ex- |
element OheTe were many such). q /
single word deTOgatOry TO America or /
Repeatedly | Witnessed !
InStInfed applause given to a runner /
wearing the Stars and Stripes she'll |
on his breast for a clever bit of work. /
ihIS genuine 5pOTtSmanlike generos- |
ty might have been copied with de /
,ided advantage by those two or three |
hundred American supporters sitting /
n the competitors stand. These |
cheered like mad at United States |
victory but their silence became Sc
JUlch-al when q Swede or a German /
1T an EngliSnman won
There was a little incident that
happened TO me on a pleasure steam
sr plying between Newcastle-on-Tyne
and the Norwegian fjOrds, which |