Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-21
WESTERN GOLFERS
ARE STILL |RATE
President Thompson Makes
Warm Reply to Walter
J. Travis.

According to this months Golfers Mag
azine. containing the latest utterances of
Charles F. Thompson, president of the
Western Golf Association. the devotees of
the game beyond the Alleghenies are by
no means pacified. On the contrary. If
Mr.. Thompson is to be believed, the west
still has its grievance. and is as much on
the warpath as before. He takes excep-
ton to a recent editorial from the pen of
Walter ]. Travis, in which the Garden
city man said. in part:
1.-THE naked truth develops that the pol
icy of the Western Golf Association.
which has found expression in assailing
the parent body and in adopting rules OF
its own. which are in certain respects In
compatible with each other and at vari-
ance with the St Andrews rules, and In
endeavoring to create sectional animosity,
is not approved by any single representa-
tive western golfer"
In contradiction, Mr.. Thompson goes
into the subject at length. He begins as
followsi
Nothing, could be further from the
truth than the foregoing statement. In
the first place, the Western Golf Asso,
states or any other golf association. In
dividuals have criticised the method and
form of the United States Golf Association
government, but these critics have not all
heen western men, for fasteners, anu
men of prominence at that, have joined
in the criticisms. The critics have claim
ed that the United States Golf ASSOCIATION
is not a representative association. IN that
about five-sixths of its membership Is dee
MED the right to vote. Further. one OF
the vice presidents of the United states
Golf Association, in a recent article pup
,ished over his signature, admitted tnal
the membership of the association was
composed of clubs four-ffths or Whlch
were east Of the Allegheny mountains.
The association cannot, then, claim ma
tional character from it's membership, IN
asmuch as the territory from which comes
four-f1fths of its membership Isl geograpn-
along a portion of the Atlantic coast OF
the United States. 1t takes more than
name to make nation, and likewise TO
make national golf association what
that the game needs one national pody,
thoroughly representative of the entire
country. and that the United States Golf
Association is not in form and substance
a national or representative associalioi'
Western Policies.
What are the policies of the western
Golf Association? A recognition OF the
other associations within It's territory oy
having them represented on the western
Golf Association directory through the
election Of one of their officers; oroad
and progressive method of government.
in order to keep pace with the great ana
widespread growth OF the game; tne oe
lief that each club In the association ~
an integral and component part %, al
and as such is entitled to voice IN All
legislation and elections. These. suostah-
TALLY. are the policies of the western
Golf Association, and that tney are dp
proved by the representative citlzens OF
the west and south is evidenced py tis
phenomenal growth of the Western Golf
Association. which has been greater In
the last few years than that Of any other
golf association in the country.
This recent outburst of misleading com.
rnent on the policies OF the western Goi
Association, its rules, ETC., seems TO me
to be an attempt by eastern writer's to
throw dust in the eyes of the~gofers In
order to cloud the real issue, winch Is,
shall We have representative oooy VI
national importance in substance as Wen
as in name? That the belief that TINS
campaign is inspired by at least some or
the officials of the United States Golf AS
ISOLATION seems we'll founded, inasmuch
as one of it's officers only recently, over
his own signature, saw fit to make the
same erroneous statement about the rules
The comment of Mr.. Travis that the
Western Golf Association had outlived its
usefulness and should disband, an lin
nois Golf Association to be formed in
stead. is too puerile to notice.
The trouble with most OF the publlshed
eastern criticisms about the Olympic Cup
competition the policies and rules of the
Western Golf Association. is that the
writer's do not stick to the truth in their
statements Of facts.
Cannot Secede.
The talk of rebellion and secession is
based on the wrong hypothesis. An in
dependent and sovereign body cannot Sc
cede, as it owes allegiance only to its
own constituents. The Western Golf AS
ISOLATION is a sovereign body, and as such
it has the right to manage its own affalrs
without being subject to the charge OF
treason, rebellion and secession. II the
clubs composing the Western Golf AS
ISOLATION deem it for the best interests
of the game to change its name and ex-
pand its territory, they will do SO. If
they do not favor this policy the assocla-
ton will remain as at present constituted
lust where the Western Golf Associa-
ton stands on this question will probably
be pretty clearly determined at the COM
ing annual meeting Of the organization,
when motion will be made to change
it's name. The nominating coihinit.ee py
the way. has presented the following
ticket:
President Horace F. Smith of Nash
vile. Tenn: vice president E. A. Engler
of Glen View: secretary. Charles e. Will
lard, South Shore Country Club: treas
urer Charles T. Atkinson, Midlothian.
Directors Wendell Hertig of Minneap-
oils, Frank l.. woodward of Denver. Clar-
ence Stanley of indianapolis, w. c:
Fownes, jr., of Oaknont. j. d. Cady of
Rock Island
The fact that Mr.. Smith is president OF
the Southern Golf Association suggests fine
politics. for it can scarcely fail to
strengthen the already friendly relation
shin existing between the south and the
west. 1t is also significant that the first
three directors are officers of the Mime
sofa, Trans Mississippi and Indiana Golf
associations, respectively.
FOOT BALL RESULTS.