Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-17
NATIONAL REGATTA.
State Department Helping the Big
Event.

The exclusive story published in The
star Of last Sunday that the National re-
gatta to be held here August IL and Is
was receiving the support Of the federal
government, and that Secretary OF state
Knox, in his official capacity. had ex-
tended invitations to all foreign countries
to compete, was the greatest piece OF
work ever engineered by those who are
promoting aquatics In this country.
As soon as the national executive com
mittee OF amateur oaremen had made
known their choice Of Washinston as the
place for the annual regatta the move
ment to make it a national affair-that ~
to induce the State Department to use It's
great service with the old-world countries
was put in force, and the coterie OF gen
tlemen who plotted the matter met with
fiattering success when they interviewed
Secretary Knox in relation to the anaif
The matter was kept a profound secret
for the time, but 1t became public prop
erty during the previous week. and hence
the story of the diplomatic deal IN last
Sundays Star. That the state Depart
ment letters and interest are being dis
cussed abroad was shown last week In the
cablegram published from the Rt. Hon
Rudolph G. Lehman, member or parma
ment I'm which he stated that such infor-
nation in regard to the regatta had oeen
received among the members OF the
Thames and Leander rowing clubs OF
London, but before expressing any deci-
sion he would await further particulars
He did say that II the American rules IN
ard set by the people of the United King
dom the regatta would have "our SYM
pathy and probably our active support
Mr.. Lehman is the foremost rowing
expert of England, having rowed at cam
bridge against Oxford He was mem
Der of the famous Leander Club. and Is
we'll remembered here as the gentleman
who came over to coach Harvard in its
race against Yale. He is one of the lead
ing stewards of the Henley Association OF
England.
The American and Canadian papers
have taken up the question of making the
regatta international In character, sand all
agree that 1t is one OF the best moves the
people of Washington could undertake, as
1t will have the tendency to bring rowing
,lp to the highest point in athletic affairs
throughout the world. while at the same
time it would add luster to the unrivaled
tomac river.
Mr. J. p Buckley of the Boston Globe.
and without doubt the abest aquatic
writer of New England, is devoting con-
siderable space to the coming National re-
gatta and is very laudatory In his screedS
over the way the ''boomers of Washing
ton have started things all over the coun-
try. Mr.. Buckley Is very laudatory also
toward the local committee in the way II
is rushing affairs along to success
The donation. subscription and program
committee Is hard at work mapping out
the details for the campaign that con-
fronts it, as on this committee Will de-
pend the raising of all money to meet
the obligations it has imposed on
itself in order to give Washington
people the greatest rowing carnival ever
seen on any sheet Of water. In all pre-
vious regattas the local committee has
sold the privilege for the printing and
publishing of the official program. being
satisfied to make a small bonus. This
year. on the advice of many of our mer-
chants, il is going to run the affair it
self, printing, editing and compiling the
entire souvenir book. 1t will materially
help the club to meet the heavy expense
of the regatta, and the program committee
is sanguine it will make it success
The donation and subscription commit
tee will meet every Saturday evening from
NOW on in order to hear reports OF how
things are progressing and to lay out
plans to insure good results all along the
line. This IL a large committee and 1t
is sanguine it will cover the ground
thoroughly.