Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-08-26
THE GAME SATURDAY.
A Letter from a Disinterested Party
about the Ball Game and Contro-
versy at Barton Landing.


about the Ball Game and Contro-
versy at Barton Landing.
The editor gladly gives room to the
letter for the benefit OF both
Barton and Barton Landing. 1t touch
es very little on the point of the game
but touches points of common sense
and should be read by every one.
Mr.. Editor:
Being interested in Barton and Bar
ton Landing as citizen of an adjoin-
ing town I wish to say word through
your paper regarding the game Satur-
day. am we'll acquainted in both
villages and often visit both and speak
from an entirely Indifferent standpoint
have heard the talk in both places
since the game and witnessed the game
myself.
TO begin with l think one man has
expressed the whole thing better and
in much sherter space than can when
he said, when it comes to the affair
Of Saturday or any other trivial affair
like ball game both villages act like
d. fools" In business affairs or
anything of consequence Barton and
Barton Landing work together as nice
ly as you please. Their interests are
two is nothing mere than is conducive
to thrift and good business policy.
But if l had two children that acted
as Barton and Barton Landing do about
a ball game / would take each in turn
over ray checkered apron for a spell
and then shut them up in dark closet
till they could act like civilized and
educated children. Then before the
next game / would take each by the
napeaof the neck and knock their heads
together till they saw stars, take their
candy away from them and send their
mamma along. 1t is simply absurd
and ridiculous to say that the citizens
of either village were to blame, that
either ball team was entirely to blame
or that any single individual of either
team was altogether In the wrong
The fact is both villages had roOters
there who were not gentlemen and the
man from Barton who said he would
like to see an earthquake swallow up
the town of Barton Landing and all it's
citizens in the hot place is about as
big an ass az the man from Barton
Landing who said that the Barton
gang was a pack of barbarians pure
and simple and came down there for
the one purpose of fighting. What
level headed and candid expression of
brotherly feeling ~ Anyone who says
any such thing as that is lacking
brain capacity. The fact is both teams
and both crowds were strained to the
highest pitch Of excitement and the
slightest cause for trouble was like
throwing live coal into a keg of pow
der.
THIS strained feeling was partially
caused by the natural rivalry between
/ the two villages but more especially
/ by the heavy betting which was grossly
open and strictly against the laws of
| Vermont. 1t made me smile to think
that one of the the officers of the day
was going to arrest some of the play
ers for cutting another when ten
times worse offense was being commit
ted under his very nose and must have
been to his certain knowledge. | refer
to betting. This is a shame and a
disgrace and seems to be upheld in both
villages by some OF the leading busi-
ness men, If some of those men who
think the little scrap between the two
! players (the people themselves were
| to blame for all the rest) was awful
they better consider their own offense.
For me give me the two boys who
wanted to have a friendly scrap.
The scrapper on the spur of the moment
gets into trouble by his quick temper,
while the better candidly and know
ingly violates the law. Which is the
worst? Cut out your betting, you
fellows who are hollering about the
dirty fellows at the ether village l
know am hitting some of your readers
pretty hard Mr.. Editor, but I think |
am pretty near the truth all along
through this letter and if you give
space | only hope it will help to open
the eyes Of some of your readers in
both villages. To outsiders it looks
like kids play. It's making a mountain
out of mole hill Because two hired
boys had mind tor a little personal
scrap the whole town has gone hot
under the collar and made it matter
of great ado.
Respectfully,
Reader.