New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-18
Action of Players Com"
mittee Draws Fire of
Newport Defenders.
PROMINENT PLAYERS
OPPOSED TO CHANGE
Charles Nj. Bull, Jr., Mouthpiece
of Those Who Favor Old
Order Of Things.
By FRED HAWTHORNE.


Tho action Of the tennis players
committee in coming out fatiooted on
Saturday for the removal or the ma
tonal lawn tennis tournament from
Newport 10 the courts Of the West side
Tennis Club, at Forest Hills. Long ISL
and. has finally drawn the fire OF the
Newport Casino adherents, and yester-
day they issued circular stating their
own position in emphatic terms.
Realizing that the battle for the con
troll Of the tournament al the annual
meeting on February at the waldorf
Astoria Hotel, will be largely governed
BY proxies in the hands OF the dele
gates, the Newport group. as did the
tennis PLAYERS comm ttee, pays par
,icular attention 20 this deadly weapon
OF warfare. Careful instructions are
given as 10 the voting Of proxies, the
clubs being requested 10 cast their lot
with the Newport Casino.
Charles VI. Bull. jr., Of the Crescent
Athletic Club, at Bay Ridge, was select
cd as the mouthpiece OF those IN favor
of keeping the national championships
on the Casino courts, where they have
been contested for the last thirty-four
years.
Bull Defends Newport.
Mr.. Bull sent out a circular ad-
7 dressed: ITO the secretaries OF clubs
members Of the United States National
Lawn Tennis Association" in which he
nointed out the advantages or the
Rhode Island city, its right TO retain
the premier lawn tennis fixture OF TINS
country and the fact that no less than
seven former holders Of the national
singles title, in addition to Richard
| Norris Williams, Cd, the present cham
pion. were strongly in favor Of New
port. Twenty-eight prominent players
signed the circular
/ Mr.. Bull said yesterday:
1--WE do not believe in railroading tho
national championship away from New
mort on a months notice and without
, affording all of the clubs in the coun-
| try a fair voice in the matter. We
who favor Newport would call atten-
ton to the fact that the present ma
tional champion, Williams, and also K
d. Sears. II. W. Slocum, Ollie S. Camp
bell, f. H. Hovey. William A. Larned
". J. Clothier and Beals c. Wright all
believe that Newport is the best place
for the tournament. NJ. D. Whitman
and Maurice +. Mclaughlin have de-
clared themselves neutral.
ar. D. Wrenn, as president OF the as
ISOLATION. feels that il would be I'M
proper for him 10 sign circular IA
voring either side Of the question
while II. L. Doherty, the Englishman
who won the title several years ago
has not been approached.
"Holcombe Ward is the only national
singles champion who has come out as
preferring the West Side Club.
"Of the men who have signed the
circular favoring Newport ten are from
New York City. including four national
champions, and the others represent a u
sections of the country. New England
the Middle States, the South, West and
Pacific Coast.
Several prominent California play
ers." continued Mr.. Bull, believe that
the championship should be played at
Newport this year. and that the coun-
try be given ample time to decide unon
so momentous a change. They prefer
however, 10 keep out Of the contro-
versy."
Points Brought Out Before.
Most OF the points thus brought ou'
nv Mr.. Bull have already been SCI
forth bv the tennis players commit
tee. Karl H. Behr, Holcombe Ward
Harold II. Hackett and the others VINO
favor New York City as the logical ma
tional tournament setting. were care
full TO draw attention 10 the fact that
This very question came up for discus
sion at the annual meeting in 1911 a.