Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-09-04
POLO GROUNDS CHOSEN
FOR ARMY-NAvY GAME
Big Inter-Service Battle to be
Staged in New York City.
BOW TO WEST POINTS DEMAND
Lieut.. Fairfield, Annapolis, Representa-
tive Agrees Following Conference
in Washington.

4
The Army and Navy football game
this year will be played at the Polo
| Grounds, New York.on November 29,
instead of at Franklin Field, Phila-
delphia.
A decision to this effect resulted
from a conference in the office of
Secretary of the Navy Daniels yes
tetdsy afternoon, in Washington. at
which Acting Secretary of War
Breckenridge and representatives of
the Army and Navy athletic asso-
Citations were present
By this decision the West Point
team gained all that it had conteaded
for for several years. The Navy has
insisted stubbornly that the game
should be played on Franklin Field,
objecting to the long journey to New
York. The Army team he Id, how
ever that its demand was only fair
and that both teams owed it to their
friends to play the annual gams at
some such place as the Polo Grounds,
where all who wished to attend could
! find accommodations.
IL is said that in the me citing yes
terday representatives of the Army
team spoke very strongly against the
refusal of the Navy to yield the
point in the negotiations recently
broken off, and declared that the
Navy had been assuming dictatorial
attitude long enough.
The result of the conference, which
was brought about by Secretary of
War Garrison and Secretary of the
Navy Daniels, caused much satisfac-
| tion in Washington. 1t was felt
| that the two teams should by all
means refuse to permit minor differ.
ence of opinion to stand in the way
of holding the annual contest. 1t is
the athletic event in which official
Washington is most interested each
year and qualification was expressed
by Army and Navy officers generally
that an agreement had been reached
to play ia New York.
After the conference Secretary of
the Navy Daniels issued the follow
| ing statement: "There was a con-
Secretary of the Navy between the
Acting Secretary of War, Mr. Brock
enridge; Capt. HI. X. Koehler and
Lieut.. Philip Matthe ws, secretary
of the Army Athletic Association,
and Mr.. Daniels and Lieutenant fair
field, secretary of the Navy Athletic
Association, representing the Navy,
over the difference between the ath-
letic associations of the two acade-
mics with reference to the football
game played each fall by the two
teams.
g 1t was recently announced from
West Point that that academy would
this year play Carlisle instead of the
Navy. whereupon Secretary Garrison
wired from the West to Secretary
Daniels, expressing his disapproval
of any disagreemen between the
athletic associations of the institu-
tions. In pursuance Of this telegram
the conference was held this morn
ing.
Representative of both associa.
tions expressed their earnest desire
that the annual game be continued,
and after consideration Lieutenant
Fairfield and Mr.. Daniels decided
that in view of the earnest dc sire of
the Army to play the game this year
at the Polo Grounds in New York,
they would extend the courtesy of
acceding to their wishes. This, of
course, is conditioned upon a proper
contrat being secured from the Polo
Grounds owners.
Acting Secretary Breckenridge,
Captain Koehler and Lieutt nant Mat
thews expressed their high apprecia-
tion of the courteous and generous
action of the Secretary of the Navy
and Lieutenant Fairfield
Acting Secretary of War Bre cken-
ridge gave out the following state
ment:
| j am very glad to say that the
difficulty in the way of the annual
Army and Navy game has been OBJ
waited through the generosity of the
Navy in yielding t. the desire of the
Army to hold the game this wear at
the Polo Grounds in New York. For
eleven out Of thirteen years the
teams have been playing at Franklin
Field, in Philadelphia. which has
necessitated some what longer trip
for the Army team than for the
Navy team.
but this is not the main reason
for desiring change at THE time.
The reason for the desire IF the
Army to play the game at the Polo
Grounds is the superior seating ca
pacity and arrangement of the Polo
Grounds for such competition.
Despite the fact that the Navy will
have to take three tins as much of a
trip this year to play the game they
have most generously conceded their
willingness to yield their objections
and play the game in New York.
"Of course the decision to plav
the game at the Polo GROUNDS is de.
| pendent upon obtaining a satisfactory
arrangement from the management
of that field, but it is not thought
there will be any difficulty about this
matter.
81 am most heartily pleased that