Evening star., 1922-12-19

Right now Washington has no
plant of sufficient capacity to accom-
snodatc the enormous throng that
must be taken care of at an Army
Navy game, and there is little hope
that Congress could he induced to ap-
propriatc the huge sum necessary for
an adequate structure in the near
future. but the fact that the Wash
fnSton ball club is able and willing
to provide suitable ccommodationS
has started the civic bee to buszing
al a furious rate in Baltimore.
Clark Griffith admittedly is in the
field to bring the prize plum of all
sporting events to Washington. He
stands ready to increase the seating
capacity of the local ball park to up.
ward of 10000 by extending double
decked stands entirely around the
grounds at 9Th and Florida avenue
If assurance can he given that this
contest will be held at least every
other year in the nations capitai.
where. he contends. II properly should
he held. 1t is this fact that prompted
the indictment of the following by w
Wilson Wimgate in today's issue of
the Baltimore sun:
Capital Seen as.Rival.
washington is beginning more and
more to loom up rs an obstacle to the
achievement of the recently conceived
but cnergetically pursued ambitions
of Baltimore to take its place In the
sun Of big time sports events. Most
recent proof of this fact is given in
the latest activity of Clark Griffith.
president of the Washington base ball
club.
IT is said that the old Fox admit
ted few days ago that his club has
purchased the OLD Maryland House.
which adjoins the park. and the
ground on which it is situated. This
plot is several hundred feet square
and at some future time. of course.
will be used for further extensions to
the Washington ball park.
IAN this is very significant. Only
last winter the club spent 100000 to
increase its seating capacity from
around l".000 to 2l.00Q. Present aims
are for a structure with seating
capacity of 10000. 1t is evident on
the surface thai il is not likely that
the Nationals in the near future will
often feel the need of park of that
size for base ball uses. The answer,
then. is easy. 1t is the possibilities
of foot ball that are Turing the astute
Washington magnate in his new VEN
turc.
Eyes on Army-Navy Game.
1T also would be a safe bet that the
Army-Navy game is the particular
Eridiron classic that is acting as the
impetus behind the movement in the
Capital city. Griffith has not failed
the realm trickling into the treasure
box of the New York National League
club. at the grounds Of which-untii
this year--for several seasons the big
pigskin contest has been held. An
Army Navy afternoon is always a
magnateS, for one-third of the re-
ceipts-the rental charged-probably
means about a $50 600 increase in the
size of the eXchequer.
.-if fEtt1
that the ArnyNavy game Will be
made a permanent Washington affair,
or even an every-otheryear event.
work on the 10000 capacity plant will
not be slow starting. 1t is by no
means unlikely. in the light of recent
events. that Griffith and the people
back of him have had some promise
relative to the Army Navy game.
An Indication, Perhaps.
Perhaps the secrecy surrounding
the scheduling Of and arranging for
che Princeton Navy game for 1923 and
the hesitancy of some concerned to
say definitely that Baltimore is to be
fhe site OF the Goat-Tiger griJiron
fracas is an indication of the origin OF
the cross current that is making the
weather vane perform in eccentric
fashion.
''At any rate. 1t is obvious that the
mayors committee appointed to wait
at the meeting to he held to work out
details relative to the 1923 contest
will find that Washington has been
added to Philadelphia and New York
as rival for future service classics.
Agreement Will Go.
with Baltimore now having the
facilities to stage this feature of
.ArVarican foot ball features and
Washington on the point of g-aduat-
ing irto the same class. it is hardly
probable that the present agreement
20 stage no Army-Navy game south
of Philadelphia will long remain in
force.
1T behooves this city to keep ever
iastingly on the job If it hopes ever to
secure an Army Navy game, for those
pocketbookically interested in the Ma
tional Capital are likely to get lot
of assistance from official Washing
ton, nearly all of which. including the
cabinet officers and very often the
President. annually attend this strug-
gle