The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-22
PETT|j0HN SAYS
REMAIN IN EIGHT
He Believes That Minnesota
Should Demand Rights
From Conference

Lyle Petition in the 81. Paul Pho.
. Press gives the following as an
idea about the . Minnesota Wisconsin
situation.
The fact that the Wisconsin game
F Fs:gle Mann In; q tt sa score he's ,ss served 70
ting their luminosity towards the
Badger institution and has helped
them to remember their grievances
against the big eight with its old FASH
toned ideas. Right now. there Is. a lot
OF talk about Minnesota leaving. the
conference. and many are in favor Of
such q, move. ..t.4
For Minnesota to Withdraw from the
conference would be foolish; what she
should do Is to. fight. for her rights at
the. conference meeting and see II she
cannot improve conditions Michigan
tried to break the big nine by 'leav-
ing. but she did not succeed and Min
nesota would not break the big eight
by doing the anne. At the time that
Michigan withdrew from the big nine
there was an upheaval and Michigan's
action was severely censured. She had
m right ideas and several other Of
the conference schools felt Just as she
did, but she did not improve. her own
conditions any by. leaving and she left
the others that had been her support
ers In these advanced ideas to fight 1t
out alone.
Should Profit BY Experience
Minnesota will do we'll to profit by
the Michigan experienced and she will
be wise to stay in the conference and
night for her rights. Were she to pull
out now the big eight would probably
readjust itself and. become big (?)
seven. with Chicago and Wisconsin as
the leaders. Chicago is leader now
for some unaccountable reason. but
Had the, Michigan school remained in
the conference the big nine would
have been in existence today, and the
old fogy rules would have been ousted
long ago. Sooner or later these rules
are going to go. and a good fight nov
will do more towards improving mat
tiers than a withdrawal. Let Mime.
sofa sever her relations with 'Wiscon-
sin II .she sees ft to. but, for her to
pull out of the conference would be
like cutting off her own nose t spite
her face.
Where would Minnesota be if she
were blacklisted by conference teams
as Michigan has been? She could meet
Nebraska, South Dakota. Marquette,
Notre Dame and Michigan. but she
would be worse off than she now is
for she has the first two now and does
not want Notre Dame and Marquette
until these WI establish a reputation
for themselves in matters pertaining
to eligibility. In order to keep the
game on the high plane that it now
occupies there must be an established
eligibility code and an agreement OH
other matters which go to make, up
bona fde. athletic teams. Tho simplest
way of*ad1usting such questions Is by
means OF conference, which takes
care. Of the whole thing and does not
make 1t necessary for each team to
reach a separate agreement with each
other. A=conference with a recognized
standing Is the par excellence Of uni
Xerstty athletic relations and there
should be no reason why such a body
could not keep pace with the times.
Changes Bound to Come
In the case Of the big eight there
is much to be said against the eligibili-
ty rules as they now stand and there
seems to be altogether too much cry
ing for the moon by the smaller mem
however, and It looks 'as"tf this win.
ter's session would be productive Of
some good results. The training table
should. be, allowed, the summer base
ball rules should be changed. schools
which have sufficient material to war
rant their playing more than seven
games SHOULD not De IeSCIlCCeQ'C 10 IHat
number because Of the fact that other
schools cannot afford to do so, there
should be: none Of that low. brow black
listing for the sake Of revenge Cease
Of Michigan) and the whole code of
conference ethics CO should be revised
to- fit conditions as they are. not as
they ought to be o as some individu-
al members of. the conference desire.
These last few years little has been
heard Of these eligibility rules. the in
dividual schools have been left to, take
care Of their own teams and things
have gone on fairly we'll because the
spirit and not the strict letter Of the
conference law has been sought to be
enforced Wisconsin has been in the
limelight these last three years on &C.
count Of the trouble they have had
right Al home in managing their own
athletic teams and here they are now
trying to manage Minnesota's for them
Years ago Wisconsin had trouble try
ing to make a few Of her stars pay
board at the training table and her
personal difficulties became so. widely
known that the conference heads had
to interfere and adjust the situation