The New York herald., 1921-12-30
N. c. A.. A. Is Forced to Post
pOne Decision on Backing
National Federation.
BY DANIEL.

BY DANIEL.
BY Withdrawing from the American
| Olympic Association and declaring
war on the Amateur Athletic Union
with the proposal of resolution
favoring the organization of a new
national amateur athletic federation
such as has been advocated by Secre-
tary Of War Weeks the National Col
legiate Athletic Association, at its an
nua convention in the Hotel Astor,
yesterday assumed a new and rather
sensational role.
1t would have assumed an even
more trenchant position if it had not
been for protest from major colleges.
Some of the leaders OF the association,
headed by Col. Palmer E. Pierce, its
I president, and DR.. McCurdy Of Spring
field, indicated that they were tired
Of the somewhat passive and alto
gether recommendatory attitude taken
by the organization since its forma-
tion sixteen years ago. They declared
themselves In favor of taking hold of
| LIllIiBS-piullt-ilS IhtO tiC Oie h'"eANA'sNt
collegiate and even international ath-
letic arena and assuming a govern
mental and administrative role.
The plunge into what some OF the
delegates prophesied would prove sea
! of trouble" was threatened with this
double barreled resolution:
Rcsolved %. That the National.
! Collegiate Athletic Association does
not accept the iaritatiost to join the
American Olympic Association under
its present form of or0enisation:
(o). That this association fGuors
the idea Of the or0nniz1tion of
national anbutoUr athletic federation.
The first section was adopted. but
hot fight led to the second section, deal
ing with the federation, being held over
| until next December.
Departure from the purely vocal role
TO the highly aggressive was resented by
| Dean McClenahan Of Princeton, Major
| Fred Moore Of Harvard and Romeyn
Berry of Cornell. 1t was evident that
the big college intended to stand by the
intercollegiate Association Of Amateur
| Athletes Of America, which has complete
control of track and field sport In the
East. has members all over the country
and exercises strong national and in
ternational influence.
On Dangerous Ground.
They felt that the association was
treading on dangerous ground and
through Dean McClenahan indicated that
II the n. c. A. A. did not recede from
! it's threatened position major institutions
OF the East would withdraw from the
association. This threat, assisted by some
.owerful arguments from many Of the
| 4 = IT,, Ill fpr In
adoption os a series OF amendments to
the constitution and bylaws. Some OF
those changes would have transformed
the association into a big national Or
ganization with the fully expressed idea
i OF staging national meets In various
sports and controlling national intercol-
legiate athletics in general. These
| amendments went over until next year.
The sensational part of the AFTERNOON
session came rather late In the delibera-
| .ions 1t was brought on by Col. Pierce's
| report on the proposition of staying in
| the newly formed American Olympic Az
| socation and the icifa OF organizing n
new athletic federation to govern Ameri-
| can sport in general and to represent
this country in international conclaves
| II will be recollected that this idea was
| proposed by Secretary of War Weeks
| some time ago and that It was taken
UP at q congress in this city in Novenl-
| Der.
| st that time the Olympic Association
| was formed. but the federation idea was
passed on to "a committee. which. by the
way. Is composed in the main OF men
who are hostile to the Weeks proposal
| The federation. no doubt. will die In
committee.
Advises Against Olympic Dody.
Col. Pierce advised strongly against
joining the American Olympic Asso-
citation. He used the term "joining"
| rather than staying in,' for the N. G.
| A. A. already has been made member
of the Olympic body and Col Pierce is
| "A member of both the executive and
| Olympic committees. From these he
| now Will be forced to resign.
The Colonel informed the delegates
that after q close study Of the Olympic
Association constitution he realized that
| under the new arrangement "the effective
control OF the American Olympic COM
| mittee would remain in the hands OF the
| very few" He declared that the
| Olympic Association provided for total
of 10 votes, and that the n. G. A. A.
was given only three. All the college
organizations of the country massed
total of only 80 votes. as against "a
granted 10 the Amateur Athletic Union,
not counting allied bodies. incidentally.
| he made an attack on the A. A. u. with
| the statement that 1t was circulating
| propaganda to wean the colleges from
The n. c. A. A. and into the A. A. u.
81 find that nine persons. controlling
| So votes, would constitute quorum OF
the Olympic Association. and that just
one person. carrying the 81 votes OF the
Amateur Athletic Union, could outvote
all the other eight" said Col Pierce.
The form Of organization is wr6ng.'
! Col. Pierce told OF long corre-
| spondence which he had carried on with
| fred Ruben OF the A. a u, corre-
s;ondence which grew acrimon Gus and
| IN which the A. A. U. official appeared
| tC have assumed high handed attitude. |
Col. Pierce said that he had invited Mr.. !
Ruben to several conferences on the
subject of forming a federation, but that
the secretary Of the A. A. U. had de-
ci.ned to attend them.
Rubien's Parting shot.
| Finally Mr.. Ruben closed the negotia- /
tons with a letter In whic, he declared