The Washington herald., 1916-08-20
Financial Support Lacking
Toward the Promotion of
The Middle States Regatta

Wnich TO complete preparations for
the Dig Middle States regatta to be held
on the upper Potomac River course
Labor Day, the regatta committee is
making strenuous efforts to work up in
terest among the local business men and
the public in general.
All signs point to having one of the
largest regattas staged in the east in
years. as clubs from all sections have
sisnified their intention OF sending crews
10 thls great rowing classic.
The membership of the Potomac Boat
Club, under the auspices of which
CLUB the regatta will be held has been
working hard putting things in order
10 receive the many visiting crews and
much progress has been made along this
line, but there has been one drawback
mat Is giving the regatta officials much
worry, and that is the lack of financial
support given by thSpeople of Wash
lngton.
The Potomac Boat Club is mainly re-
sponsible for the fact that the manly
ana beneficial sport of amateur rowing
has been kept alive in the District This
cup has not only for years been Of
tering the young men of Washington
splendid facilities with which to de-
Velope into strong healthy men, and
that at a minimum of cost to the oars
man, out 1t has on numerous occasions
undertaken the responsibility of bidding
for. accepting. and properly managing
large regattas when crews from all sec
tlohs OF the country have competed
against each other.
The club has given the Washington
public numerous days of witnessing the
sport of rowing when champions from all
over he United States and Canada have
raced for their titles. It has given the
people OF Washington all this, without
one cent direct cost
Who can deny that the bringing to
Washington of all OF the men who have
rowed in these crews and their many
followers has not been beneficial to the
city In more ways than one. These Wis
ttors have spent money In the city; bust
ness has been aided. The people OF the
city have been given many pleasant days
outings at these regattas, absolutely
free.
The Potomac Boat Club in the past has
seen that the visitors within our city
gates were given 4 fitting welcome: that
they were properly cared for; that they
were impressed with Washington hospi-
tality: and undoubtedly Washington has
received much good advertisement when
these men have left for their homes, TAX
ing with them the feeling that the Cap
ital of the nation is a good place to
live. and that the people who make their
| home there are the best ever.
1t is a known fact among oarsmen that
any rowing man who has ever been to
/ Washington when a regatta was held on
the Potomac River was glad OF the op-
pOrtunity to revisit the place he had pre-
viously been so well treated.
What such wholesome advertisement
does for the District Of Columbia can he
readily realized and It surely should be
encouraged.
| On previous occasions Of this kind the
! local public has given the Potomac Boa t
| Club both their moral and financial sup
port, for without IT tho club could not
have so well handled the regattas. The
business Of Washington assisted a great
deal on these previous affairs.
! As will be seen by the above statement.
the regatta committee has only received.
all told, seven individual prizes and cash
contributions TO the amount of s..
! It is estimated that the regatta Labor
Day will cost close up TO the 5000 mark.
The contributions so far received. II con-
verted into cash. would not amount 10
over 500. This means that between now
! and Labor Day the Potomac Boat Club
has got to get together about 81 500 for
! the regatta has got TO he run off anu
bills have got to be paid.
| If the local business men and the public
I at large 90 not come forward ana assist
| the Potomac Boat Club that organiza-
ton stands to lose a good sum of money
which surely would not be fair to MEM
| hers of that club when they are working
| hard and doing their share to make a
| regatta a success at which the whole OF
WASHINGTON can attend without direct
cost. The boat club gets nothing in re-
turn other than having the satisfa ction
Of knowing that they have contributed
| to the great. clean sport of amateur
rowing and have given the people of the
| District day of real pleasure.
| On Wednesday of this week the club is
going TO give an excursion to Marshall
Hall. the proceeds of which will go 10
assist in bearing the financial support OF
the regatta.
Upon the financial support this excur-
sion is given the success or failure OF
the proper management Of the Labor
| Day regatta will depend. II the club
does not make sufficient funds by this
means it will be forced to curtail the
expenses of the regatta. thereby deviat-
ing from the elaborate arrangements now
| planned
AS one of the regatta officials express
ed It: "Our excursion is equal in class
to any that goes down the river. and in
asking a person to purchase a ticket for
| this, thereby contributing to the support
| of the Labor Day regatta, they will not
! only have a pleasant evening down the