New-York tribune., 1909-11-16
GOLF WAR BREWING
" EST STILL IR1TE.
President Thorn pson Replies to
Udlter j. TrdIis.

According 10 the advance proofs OF this
months Golfers aga zine" containing
the latest utteranCes OF Charles T. Tboulp-
son. president Of the Western Golf Associs
ton. the devotees of the game bevond the
AIleghenies are by no means pacjfed on
the contrary. If Mr.. Thompson is 70 ba he
heved. the West still has its grievance and
Is as much on the Warpath as before IT,
takes exception 10 a recent editorial from,
the pen OF Walter J. Travis. in which the
Garden City man said in part as follows:
The naked truth develops that the mol
~ OF the western Golf Association. which
has 10 md expression in sssaiIing me
parent body and in adopting rules Of its
OHl, NAlch are IN certain respects fncon-
pauoie With each other and al variance
WIN the st Andrews rules and i'm en-
HeaVorln6 20 create sectional aniuDosity-
IS y! not approved by any single representa-
i've western golfer.
In contradiction. Mr.. Thomson rose
INTO the subject al length He begins a
follows:
,Nothins could he further from the tru-,
DIara uif foregoing statement. In the first
Ss, tie w estern Golf Association has
lever assailed the United states or a1,,
oIt.gI t. eoiI association. IndivlIuaIs ba[-a
Srltlcised the method and torn, ,e -
United States Golf Asso|istii,,ii' - L oL ne
IItHt' out these critics have rot al 49,
esIern men. for Fasteners. and men
i'm
- tIt-si,.s- ne critics have claimed thar
Ihe United States Golf ASsociafior i ~
le5ehtatlve association. in that abouS
ripbf A,,'S - OF us membership Is denied the
-,5..s 70 vote Further. one Of the ice
presidents OF the United states GCrf a.
r- lon' IN recent article pubIisre1
bersbin ia lure, admitted that the mem
30 OF tne association was cornnosa5
- ciHns tour-hftbs Of which y,sra .-t - -
@ Ins AHesheny Mountains The assoc 80. ~
,ai.no'; then. claim a national cbarsc,sr
from Its membership inasU1i,.t % O. -
-. iLLory from which comes four -fiStb. -
-;l,y, MD Is, ographicaIlv a ii+tIa
~ 80, ~ iaho running along a portion ~
me Atlantic Coast of the T-ri+55 ,5Vn So. ot
- axes more than name 10 make - ~,
sssoci.,,l 90 liAeWlSe 10 make national roIr
- Ia'iol- What they ttbe .riti-s
eHect. contend Is that the rar,, ,o.s'' ,,..,>'' IN
80 ,f,laI eody. Thoroughly representt 80
Sta,as ~. country. and that the T-nfteJ
s,-bsts,, Io' ASSOCIATION rs not in form, ana
aSSocia ton. representative
.ssd.;. ha5 are The policies OF the w.stor, Col.
soi...itall'iHt all'iHt \ recognition or the ,tt,@ i,,lI @
so'latons within its te-rito--' VI "tner as
socjs,;.,',lD -sehted on the Western cole a. -
one ~ .toi- ,it.a9ry through the election ~
ei,.. l.tne5 ,ne5 omcsrs. "A broad and nrogros
~ hlNtlod OF government I'm cr,iarp. =. : =
- Win the great and widespread ,r6.P y
~ 'le game, the BELIEF thar Aacb So So tl t
Tie association IS an integr5f T@aS1 @ club IN
eL, part or y, and. aS such is ortitilp =
~, .oI1e IN All legislation and eiectfo,,, :,
1ufS-' substantially. are the DoIi.ie, - -. -
western Golf Association ana H. = ~ tne
tpPIgNed ny the representative citize,. a. -
rt,,,....-SI .eSI ana south is evidenced b,, +Is
SSS"clatlon- which has been rroat,, T., -. 80
! LeW years than that Of anv other -1Is
asS1Clatior IN tine country SUI
This recent outburst of r,,i-les,4f, -
inent on the noiicies Of the V-sSts-, 80
ASSOCIATION its rules etc seems 20 - =,
10 an attemut by Eastern Vritare - 49, -
uISt IN inc eyes of the golfers i'm order -
cloud the real issue. which IS. shall ne ~. -
So sSsIltduve body Of national impOr-
-. 80, substance as We'll as in nance
Tar tne belief that this campaign il in
SnTed nv AT least some of the ofFicis1s -
me nited States Golf Association saap,s
wei founded. lnasmuCh as one Of It's off,
GERS only recently over his own sip1s+,,rs
saw NJ 20 make the same errnne0rls state
Inent about the rules 81 the Western Golf
The comment Of Mr. Travis that III.
western Golf Association had outIivad frs
usefulness and should disband. am Illinois
golf association 10 be formed instead. is TOO
puerile 70 notice
The trouble with most of the published
Eastern criticisms about the OIvnlDic C11n
ComDetitiOn- rhe policies and rules ~ the
Western Golf Association Is that the
writer's do not stick % the truth in their
st~'-1nents Of facts
The talk OF rebellion and secession is
based on the wrong hypothesis. An iude-
pendent and sovereign body cannot secede
as IL owes alleFio noe only 10 its own con
stituents. The Western Golf Association -
p sovAreign hody- and. as such. IL has the
right 70 manage its own affairs without be-
lion and secession r. the clubs COMPOSING
The Western Golf Association deem IL for
the best interests OF the game 20 change
its name and eynand itS territory they viii
do 50. II thev do not favor this Dolcv the
association Will remain at present con-
stituted.
Just where the Western Golf Association
stands on this question will probably he
pretty clearly determined a the coming an
nual meeting Of the organization. when a
motion will he made 10 change its name
The nominating committee. by the way
has presented the following ticket:
President Horace F Smith OF Nashville.
Tenn. viCe-Dresident L. 4. Engler .,
Glen View: secretary, Charles r. VIII
lard South Shore Country club. trea surer
Charles T. Atkinson. Midlothian. Directors
Wendell Hertig. of Mirnea polls: Frank T..
Woodward. OF Denver Clarence Stauiev. Of
Indiana polls. W G. FowneS iT-. OF oak
mont: J. y. Cady, OF Rock Island.
The fact that Mr.. Smith is president OF
the Southern Golf Association suggests hna
politics. for II can scarcely fail 20 strength
on the already friendly relationship exist
ing between the South and the West II
"a also significant that the first three d.
rectors are officers OF the Minnesota. Trans
Mississippi and Indiana Golf associations.
respectively.