The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-10
AND JOHN BULL SAYS UNCLE SAM
 |S POOR LOSER Charges of Discrimination Poo- POoed By Merry" Eng
 fish Press IRELAND CLAIMS TITLE OF WORLDS CHAMPION Boasts That lrIshmen Upheld Honor of Both America and EnoIand. Sporting News From Over
 the Big Pond.
By RIG HARD DAHLoREN.

By RIG HARD DAHLGREN.
 London, August 9.-British athletic au- thorities are not pleased with the very general charges of unfairness made by the American newspapers in connection with the recent Olympic games Despite the fact that other athletes, notably the Swedes, and including some Englishmen, maintain that the Americans were un- fairly treated in many instances, the Olympic officials will not admit that the American team had any just cause of complaint at all. One of them said to me recently: "rhe Americans are simply poor losers. Practically every decision of the judges during the games was based on sound athletic law"
 The English athletic authorities are claiming the worlds championship by counting in all the contests whether they have heretofore figured in athletic cham pionships or not The Illustrated Sport ing News In summing up the games, says: "To those pessimists who, with crocodile-like tears, went about bewailing the decadence of British athletes, and foretelling nothing but failure for the old country's representatives in the Olympic games, the doings at the Stadium must have come as a surprise The United Kingdom did not win everything. That was not to be expected in a gathering of 200O picked athletes from something like twenty nations. But our gains were greater than our losses, which Is more than can be said of any other country not even excepting the mueh-boomed America. whose chosen ones had, in some folks opinion, good as wiped John Bulls chosen ones off the earth before the games began.
 Let us give honor where 1t is due, and say at once that in M W. Sheppard, the Americans have a great athlete, whose splendid performances, when beating the best of our men, H. A. Wilson, at 1500 meters, in minutes 2-5 seconds, and J. R. Fairbairn- -Cranford and T. H. Just over 800 meters, in the worlds record time of l minute 52 4-5 seconds, com manded universal admiration and respect. Great Britain could not in any case have won these events.
 But while heartily congratulating Sheppard and his country, let us also re- member the many brilliant achievements of our own men and the events in which they clearly demonstrated to foreigners that in some branches of athletics Great Britain still reigns supreme. In team racing we showed, with the aid of J. E. Deakin, A. J. Robertson and H. A. Will , son, that over a three-mile course, there is nobody to touch us; at steeplechasng, thanks to A Russell, and (glory be to VoighD, at five miles on the flat similar state of things prevails. Our representa- tives, in most instances, proved superior to even the great continental cyclist; at swimming, honors were more than easy; and although at gymnastics, at which the palm must be given to Germany, we came out badly, we proved by means of G. E. Larner- and E. J. Webb that for fast and fair walking Great Britain can more than hold her own.
 However, not the least satisfactory feature of the games was the proof which they provided of the growing interest in track events amongst continental ath- letes, whilst in no previous games. or
 
 colonies been so prominent. Indeed. the crack performance of Walker, from South Africa, was an event of the meeting
 It is good that England feels good over the result I understand it has been practically decided that Berlin gets the next Olympic outside of Greece.
 Ireland claims that she Is really en- titled to the worlds championship in athletics and when the points made by tfatx ar,d For America are considered there would be some basis for the claim. At any event there was great rejoicing in the Green Isle when the Irish-American Athletic club members of the American team, in defiance of the instructions from home. went over and took part in the Dublin games There was great demonstra- ton for Johnny Hayes, the Marathon winner; Sheridan, Flanagan and the others when they crossed the Irish chan nel The Americans competed as individ- uals and not as members of the Irish American club.
 The action of the home team has given rise to much uffavorable comment both here and in Ireland.
 Richard Croker the former Tammany chieftain, was bitterly sarcastic when in- terviewed today over the row between the rival Irish societies that caused Pat Conway, the president of the Irish-Amer- ican Athletic club, to cable the athletes of his club not to compete, MT. Croker was plainly disgusted over the way the trouble has spoiled the visit of the Amer l jeans.
 'Irishmen can't agree even in sport. l This is sport, not politics." remarked MT. 1 Croker at the end of the interview. ] Nevertheless the trouble seems to have a political origin. It was stated tonight that the Sim Fein physical force party is entirely responsible for the boycott of the games. The Irish parliamentary party suggested and organized the recep- ton to the Americans The Sim Feln party opposed the idea, and. 1t Is said, prompted the cablegram from New York ] The American athletes are thoroughly disgusted over the manner in which they have been brought into the row" Doubtless the rowing, authorities arc sorry now that they closed the Henley regatta to foreigners and prevented the twice victorious Belgians from competing again for the Grand Challenge cup. The easy victory of the Leanders in the Olympic regatta showed that England this year could have resained the cup by honest rowing instead of by barring the holders, Leanders victory was com plete and thorovrh and was won because