Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-12-02
Chicago Man Elected Head Of
the Organization to Succeed
Sullivan.
HAS fine RECORD IN SPORT

ntcI0tL -. o1OWA VI OAASssoO ">"S
elected to the presidency Of the ANA
teur Athletic Union of North America
for a term Of one year. He was
unanimously ratified by the national
delegates after strenuous conven-
ton at the Hotel Aston in New York.
He succeeds James E. Sullivan, who
has been the head Of the A. A. U. for
the last three years. Sullivan declined
q reelection and to show their appre-
citation Of Sullivan's faithful service,
while in Office, the delegates without
q dissenting vote chose him to occupy
the position of secretary-treasurer.
The vioe-presidents elected were Gus
tav T. Kirby of New York, Harry
Fitzgerald of New Orleans, Henry G..
Penniman Of Baltimore and John j.
O'Connor of st. Louis.
Mr.. Brown, the newly elected mon
arch, has an excellent record In ath'
letics. As far back as 1888 he distin'
guished himself as an oarsman by
winning the national Junior sculling
championship in Philadelphia. The
following year he repeated his feat
this time in Mississippi. In 1890 he
was captain of the Farragut Boat club
of Chicago. Prior to this Mr.. Brown
was one of the vice-presidents of the
A. A. u. He is vice-president Of the
Chicago A.. A., as we'll as having
served on the latter clubs board for
Something about the development OF
amateur athletics in America Is con-
tanned in the address of former Pres
ident Sullivan. A part of his speech
is appended:
"Competitive sport throughout the
Tinted States is in healthy con-
dition. and those in the collegiate,
scholastic and athletic world that are
RESPONSIBLE for this sane, healthy
state of affairs are to be congratulated.
Ten, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five
years ago, sport, from the amateur
standpoint was not nearly as whole
some as it is to-day, and many 1lle-
gal acts were done in years gone by
that were due primarily to ignorance
and the lack Of organization. To-day
that is all changed. The excuse OF 1g-
norance is not heard very often, and
the alleged corruption In competitive
circles does not exist in as widespread
a manner as some would like to nave
It believed. Where you have an organ
ization that controls and has compel
ing under it's rules close on to 10000
active athletes you must expect to find
here and there a few that have a
tendency to break laws and evade the
rules: that is only to be expected. On
the whole, however, amateur sport IN
the United States is on a much bet
ter basis than in any other country
that has amateur competition, and
know whereof I speak.
1--WE have had a few cases OF NAL
practice in sport, but very few; they
are fortunately rare. There is an
other subject to which I wish to call
attention in this connection. In ath-
letics. as in every branch OF activity
where success has been attained,
there is one character who seems to
follow in the wake of his more accom-
nlished fellowship scandalmonger.
Every now and then some startling an
nouncement is made in relation to
this champion or that champion; the
statement is usually made on hearsay
evidence and is not of the kind on
which the governing body can act. The
Amateur Athletic union stands ready
"a expel from the amateur ranks any
connecting athlete guilty Of miscon-
duct. and it behooves those who make
these assertions not to confine their
attacks to generalities but help the
governing body in specific cases. Let
them come forward and give evidence,
If there is any, that will enable the
governing body to eliminate from anna
teur circles those who have no right
therein.
There may exist certain isolated
cases Of dishonest athletes evadins