The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-09-14
Fair Play In the News.

Fair Play In the News.
Sioux CITY Journal: Above all else
the average citizen likes TO pc lar
sportsmanlike is another name Tor II
That is why DR.. Cook is getting the
better Of the newspaper discussion OF
the polar exploits. Cook. according 10
the face Of the returns, was hrst az
the pole and first to get back and tell
Of his achievement When Peary came
in touch with the world he was OF
course. bitterly disappointed to mo
the cream of his glory had been skim
med by rival According to ms
own story he could have known notn-
ing of the merits of his rivals case,
hut he attempted to discount 1t on no
better authority than the idle gossip
of Eskimo friends who shared his DIS
| appointment. He said in effect that
! Cook was a liar and faker and that
Peary was the only genuine discover
er of the real north pole. The mo-
ment he adopted this attitude Peary
lost the sympathy of large majority
OF fair minded men-most OF whom
had been hoping that the main honor
mig hit go to Pearv. Had Peary simply
told his own story, without ungener-
Gus reference to his rival, waiting con
tainedly to let the truth develop in the
showdown that must eventually come,
the balance of public sympathy would
! have stayed on his side. But Peary
was unsportmanlike in claiming that
his rival had cheated. Cook, on the
other hand, accepted Peary's story at
its par value, and even under provoca-
ton refused to speak an unkind word
of Peary. Cook has proved himself
the better of the sportsma- md good
sportsmen everywhere are Eoping he
will come out first in the final account
ing.
The same human and wholesome
. tendency toward fair play came out
in the recent Fowler-Cannon contro
versy, which was glanced at by faii
minded public and quickly laid aside
I before the greater controversy came
. to the front. Fowler thought he had
. a good case against Speaker Cannon
and a good many persons agreed II
that opinion Fowler made at his ad
, versary with a torrent of blows care
, less whether he hit over or under thu
, belt. Everybody saw the blows under
the belt. They were SO obviously un
fair that little attention was paid Il
the sockdolagers that landed above
The public was disguised with Fowle
and said so frankly. Even the one
who had been hoping that Fowle
might knock out Cannon In ;
!, fair fight raised no protest whel
the referee of public opinion gave th'
fight to Cannon on a foul Fowle.
! helped Cannon's case instead of hurt
ing it. He accomplished this uneS
y pected result by going after him tn
t wrong way, the unsportsmanlike way.
e Two weeks ago the Pressed Stee
Y Car company. at McKees Rocks
n seemed to have won physical test o
e strength with striking employees. TIL
strike had failed and the company wa
e operating its plant with new labor
It But the victory didn't stick. Disclos
e ures during the strike had convince
G the public that the company had nc
e been treating its employees fairly. i
a strong tide Of public sentiment bega
It running against the company. Strfk
u breakers refused to work under th
ID conditions imposed The governmer
r instituted an investigation that threa
n ened official publicity for the method
10 of the company Finally the compan
y. put aside its hard won physical VII
/ tory, and made a fair settlement wit
q It's men The demand for fair pla
has been satisfied. That settlemer
will stick.
Last week the Pittsh,lrg Pirates an
the Chicago Cubs played series {
- exciting baseball games. The Pirate
y were in the lead for the pennant an
! had won a majority of the season
10 games with the Cubs. The Cubs a
y, CURED great merit by winning thre
VI of the four games in the late serfe
~ In the other Pittsburg started In ear
~ to bat out victory, The Cubs bega
ls- kicking on the umpire. Several kicke
re themselves out of the game. Pittsbul
40 won the game easily, and the Cul
al raised howl that the umpire hs
ne robbed them. Unfair and unsport
SIS manlike! The exhibition OF this sire;
ne of yellow cost the Cubs, in the opinic
m Of true sportsmen, more than they W
IS gain II they win the pennant.
ne A square deal victory along almo
a any line of endeavor is victo
wv worth while, and the world will tai
cff its rct to the Victor. IT real