The Washington times., 1912-12-01
BOWLING FACTIONS
IN CAPITAL KEEP
TOURNAMENT AWAY
Partisan Feeling Has Kept
Alley Artists at Con-
troversy.
COOPERATION HAS
BEEN LACKING
Concerted Effort Might Bring 1914
Event to WASH
ington.
BY KIRK c. MILLER.

why isn't the annual tournament OF
ono OF the big bowling organizations
ever held In Washington? That ques-
tion is as old as the banks OF the Po-
tomac. and the answers have been as
varied as numerous. On the spur of
thc moment 1t seems quite plausible
that the pin knights should choose the
Nations Capital as the scene OF their
annual bowling bouts, and time and
again press agents have sailed forth
with booming stories In which WASH
ington was heralded as the objective
meeting point Of the country's army OF
duckpin and tenpin artists. Yes. It is
an old story, and here. today. a scribe
comes across with another splurt Of en-
thusiasm in which the suggestion. .Why
not bring It to Washington is made.
Quite q commendable thing. Indeed.
Washington would be glad to have the
American Bowling Congress or Nat onal
Bowling Association select It as the
next meeting place; but what has
Washington In general and Washington
DoWlers IN particular ever done to snake
the city attract either of the annual
bowling classics?
No Good Result.
Of the dozen or 80 attempts made by
the local contingent to direct the trend
OF the bowlers to Washington. no good
has ever resulted. About the first OBJ
stacle to arise has been whether to try
for the A. B. c. or n. 3. A., and right
here the inevitable appeared. a split.
Some wanted the Big tournament and
others. the more sensible, were satisfied
with making bid for the tournament
OF the younger organization. Result, di.
vided EFFORTS were made for both events.
and Washington has never received
either; and 1t Is timely to state that Il
never will until the bowlers take It into
their heads to pull In the same direction
for either one of the annual events.
Some time ago the American Bowl ms
congress and National Bowling Associa-
were to refrain from Infringing on each
others territory. THIS was very shortly
after the n. B. a. was organized,
springing from the A. b. C., when the
matches might conflict. The new body
agreed to keep its territory East of the
Appalachians and the mother Organizo-
tion likewise agreed to hold its tourna-
ments IN the Western section. In the
face Of this. Washington bowlcrH who
originally were a. b. e. followers have
fought the N. B. a. tooth and nal.
Is Attractive City.
Now to get back to our original propO.
sition. tho ones that said Washington
Is the ideal place for the big event, were
right. They simply erred In the man
ner in which they chose to bring II
here. One thing is certain. the \. b.
&. is not going to hold an annual tour
nament here. for the reason that the y.
b. a. ts too strong to allow the older
crowd to invade its territory. Another
thing Is almost certain, viz-the n.
b. A. will not bring it's next matches
here because Washington has not mad,
a concerted effort to induce 1t to do so
1t takes money, 1t takes carefully laid
plans by men who know how to con.
duct conventions. and 1t takes more
earnest attitude BY the business men
than has ever been displayed here.
Many have suggested that the ap-
preaching inauguration Of a President
would make this city doubly attractive
TO bowlers throughout the country. So
but the only one place In Washing ION
that will accommodate a bowling tour
nament, Convention Hall, Is going "a
be given over to housing Of soldiers for
the inaugural parade. However. there
Is about fifteen months between now
and the timc Of the 1914 tournament
and II a cooperative effort were made
by the bowlers. Chamber OF Commerce
and Board Of Trade. Washington might
get an edge In on the n. b. \. tourna.
mont.