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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31,1909 THE EVENING STATESMAN, WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON ">OTBALL 2ASKETBALL BASEBALL AUTOING LIVE NEWS OF THE SPORTING WORLD || PAGE THREE TENNIH WRESTLING RACING BOXING Two Famous Marathon Runners Who Will Meet in Race Shortly If the plans of the eastern promo- tes do not fall through, professional athletics will be given a big boom within the next few weeks. A short time ago it looked as if there would be nothing doing for the money chasers, but the wind shifted, and the skies are beginning to shine again. In New York three big professional races are on the program to be run off be- tween now and the Ist of February, and several long and short distance are carded to be held in Jersey City, X. J. Nearly all the big prores- sktnal Marathoners who took part in the long distance running game last reason will compete in the coming wents. Many of the foreign runners vho helped make sport history last >v;>r arc to arrive in this country shortly. In fact, two of them are here low. John Svan'oerg, the Swede who ?on several ra< as last year, and Henri .St. Yves, the Frenchman. eetahlisheT ';f several world's records, arrived re- cently in splendid shape and will start training immediately. Pietri Dorando. the Italian, who is now in England, is expected in this country the first ?>'°pk arv. Billy Paull Back on the Cinder Path For Mile Run KUFFADO, N. V., Dec. 31? Billy p oull. of Perm., who holds the inter- collegiate mile record and is the fast- est mile runner in America, will run h -is first race since his record race at Cambridge, Mass., last spring, when c goes against some of the best in th* east at Buffalo today. Not since his school days, and the tetter part of them, has he competed in his native city, Buffalo, for as a Mercerburg runner he was too busy to enter open games, and while he has been at Perm Mike Murphy has only used him a few times. Paujl denies that he intends to e.uit the cinder path and says he will be in his old form for this year's intercol- legiates. OPEN GREAT AUTO SHOW SEW YORK, Dec. 31.?With a pri- vate view this afternoon, to be followed by the formal public opening at 8 k this evening, what is in many Aspects the greatest automobile show held anywhere was Inaugurated in Gr and Central Pa'ace. All the new Models produced by members of the "Motor Car Manufacturers' j are on exhibition, in a set- \ ting more beautiful than ever bef rt attempted. Recognizing the fact that the moto: I car is essentially an outdoor vehicle, the decorators have packed the cars in a huge trellis garden or. gigantic arbor which is entwined with climb- | ing plants, beautiful flowers, singing \ birds and plashing pa'ms. As many of the cars exhibited are « can Motor Car Manufacturers' asso- .' ciation is making even greater efforts than ever to make this year's event a great social success. The show com- mittee has set aside as usual special nights for the formal reception of ; civic and national dignitaries, club- ! men, engineers and society people. | The Palace show will open to the j public each day from 9 a. m. to 10:30 p. m. On Saturday night, a smoker will be given at the Automobile club of America, as was the case last year, to all Grand Central Palace show ex- hibitions of motor \u25a0 cars and accesso- ries. Saturday night has been termed "Army and Navy night," by the j show committee, and General Leonard A. Wood, commander of the depart- ment of the east, together with offi- cers attached to Forts Hamilton, Wadswor-th, Schuyler and Governor's Island, have been invited to attend, as have members of the Army and Navy club. On Monday. Jan. 3, the New York Automobile Trade association j will hold its annual meeting at 12 ! j o'clock at the Manhattan hotel. "En- j ! gineers' Night" is scheduled for Mon- j ! day and invitations have been ex- j j tended to officers of the Engineers' \u25a0 ! club and various engineering socie- | I i ' ties, including the Society of Automo- | bi'.e Engineers. As at past shows of the A. M. C. M. > j A., Tuesday has been set aside as So- I ciety day and the admission will be I (raised from fifty cents to one dollar. I The apnual meeting of the Society of j j Automobile Engineers will be held j |on Tuesday at 10 a. m., followed by ! its annual dinner at 8 p. m., both * events being held at the Automobile ; (''ub of America. I made abroad an effort has been made jto make some of the decorations really j international in character, and Italy, France, and Germany have been searched for little floral novelties that are in a way symbolical of the coun- tries the cars represent. Outside of the trellis garden idea, the decorative scheme involves a lat- tice and landscape effect, with the whole set forth by tens of thousands of glittering lights and huge chande- liers or electric balls of fire which will throw the pictorial scenes and the cars themselves into high relief. I Annual meetings and dinners of many associations allied with the mo- tor car industry are scheduled for the week of the Tenth International Auto- mobile show. One of the most im- portant meetings is that of the Manu- facturers' Contest association, which will be held at' the Manhattan Hotel, Friday evening, Jan. 7. This is the first annual meeting of the association since its formation, nearly a year ago. President Benjamin Dqiscoe will pre- j side and make his first annual report, telling what the association has ac- j complished for its members in all manner of contests. It is also likely ] that at that time next year's campaign i will be mapped out. Another meeting of importance i which will be held this year for the ! first time during the Grand Centra' i Palace show is that of the motor and accessory manufacturers. This or- ganization of makers of parts and ac- cessories will hold its annual meeting at 6 p. m. Wednesday. Jan. 5, at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, followed by the jannual dinner at 7:30 o'clock, j The show committee of the Ameri- | Doctor Roller in For All Kinds of Sports (By Dr. B. F. Roller.-) I As an introduction to the article requested to follow, it may be stated that the writer graduated from the Depauw university, B. S.. and the University of Pennsylvania, If. D., '02. winning the Saunders prize of $160 in gold. He worked his own way, chiefly by professional athletics. He was pres- ident of his class three years out of j each four, captain and coach of De- j Pauw football '07 and Pennsylvania champion class team '99 and '01. On , the P. A. C. '98. E. C. and A. C. 1900, Philadelphia Athletics 1901 and '02, Franklin City A. C, which won the championship at Madison Square in < '03, captain and coach Seattle A. C. coast champion '05. On the Cherry ! Circle track team, '98, won the discus , against New York, a place in the shot j hammer and 56-pound weight, and held weight records in Indiana for Several years. t A few years ago in Madison Square two Irishmen and a preacher were dis- cussing affairs pro tern. The preacher asked: "Who is the greatest man that j ever lived?" The Irishman from Goth- am said: "Theodore Roosevelt." "No" , emphatically said the preacher and the native son. The preached asked the other Irishman: "Who do you say kas the greatest man that ever lived?" Mike, with an air of complete confi- dence, said without hesitation: "James J. Jeffries." "No, indeed," said the preacher. Then the two Irishmen in unison: "Who is the greatest man that ever lived?" And the preachev 1 answered "God." The native son de- : termined to have the best of the argu- ment, scratched his head for wit, and suddenly replied: "Well, you see, Jif- frys is only a young mon yit." Jeffries is a young man yet and al- \ though great now, the day he dereats Jack Johnson he will be, if not the greatest, one of the most popular men living. There never was in the history of athletics such an interest in any such contest. Why this affair should be common talk throughout the whole world and be worth hundreds of thou- sands of dollars is indeed an inter- esting question. Ask yourself at the same time why it was worth $75,000 to the public to see Frank A. Gotch defeat Hacken- -chmidt and $50,000 to see the same iffable and intelligent Mr. Gotch de- ! 'eat Mahomout. A few years ago a dollar was a good | rrice for a seat, while today $5 and , tM is common, and many a* man pays! $50. A -few days ago $1000 was a big purse, where today $50,000 is not surprising. The reason peon'e pay these enor- ' mous prices for this athletic commodi- ty. Is- because that is what they want. \ I do not consider either that the scarcity of boxing and wrestling aGds anything to the price of them, for cities where these sports are most common are those which pay the largest purses. - i Neither is it an evidence of retro- gression, for San Francisco, Los An- ?geles, New Orleans, Boston. Philadel- phia, Pittsburg, Kansas City and Memphis compare favorably with Cleveland, Chicago, New York and Indianapolis in the matter of vice. Im- morality and political rottenness. Men Hungry for Athletics. Follow the matter to solution, and it means that athletics, when properly conducted, whether amateur or pro- fessional, occupy a tender spot in the heart of every sane and well-balanced man. Men are hungry for it and they are bound to have it at any price. They vote for it generally, but they get it only occasionally, because as Elbert Hubbard says, "Civilization is advan-; eing as rapidly as the reformers will allow it." The trouble is that we vote for a lot of boneheads with itching palms to fill our legislative and imperial chairs, and when the political parasites begin to suck the life blood ovit of the pub- lic treasury, either from graftitis or cowarditis, the officials pipe at tho beckon of some fanatic and refuse to stand for your rights and mine. The consequence is that boxing is tabooed in the majority of states in the Union. Possibly graftitis and cow- arditis don't embrace the entire num- ber who object to boxing, but the remaining small percentage is so co- piously endowed with self-satisfied ignorance that they are easily desig- nated. Some day the American spirit will assert itself and refuse longer to sub- mit to the dogmatic suppression of fanatics and political parasites, and express themselves with power. Then athletics will be free to all and plen- tiful. College professors have often writ- ten me pathetically and imploringly about the indiscretion of leaving medi- cine, even temporarily, for the "dis- graceful" career of a professional ath- lete. These same men invariably, ar- ter a visit to the dressing rooms of the Jeffries-Gotch troupe, would ex- press themselves astonished at the unexpected intelligence and refine- ment of these great athletes. I Many people think that a boxer b> wrestler is almost human. As a mat- ' ter of fact, the greatest athletes of to- day are either college or professTona; men. or men who have been even bet- | ter taught by the school of trave' and experience. You will be astonished at the business ability and frugal habits of the modern great athlete. He no kmger courts the hangerson or wastes his time and money in a booze empo- rium trying to make hirrsolf a gooct fellow with a lot of bums. He knows now that knockers are better than benefits, and puts his money in alfal- fa or corn land. The study of the mod- I crn athlete is interesting as well as j elevating. Funny it is that a man can d> ar.y- j thing- in the world for a prize without j I being criticized, except compete in athletics. I have been informed that Billy Sunday refused tr preach the doctrine of hell and to n:s victims until they contributed $7500 But it is unlawful in most stales for Jeffries to box with padded gloves for ten times that amount. It all depends on who gets the prize, and here is where I touch on college aMnet'-os Football and Other Athletics. Football is the great college sport and draws the elite and religious at a high price, and in the absence of the bull fight comes nearer satisfying the appetite for gore. Football is ten times harder, a hundred times more rough and dangerous "ban boxing, wrestling or sharp sword fencing. So- ciety smiles at football for several reasons. In the first place, the play- ers' prize consists of a bare subsist- ence except subrosa. Ir .'ne seconl r'£ce, it grates on peoples nerves to s f*> a man knocked down in the open even with his ; -o's. bul if ten men h-. io a fellow down so that you can't sc? him. while the eleventh man kicks him into loscnsibiPty, ym don't | half mind the simple ordtal of seeing! the unfortunate carried from the field, j Another man is rub-:ti'ute 1 as a Kv- bag sarcrifice. an:; the game goes on. ! Perhaps it would be well for boxin-j! if a similar squad of substitutes should be held rea i - ti fill the va- cancy as often as a o:ar is knocked j out. We might <"orgft each unfortn-j nate in watching the fate of his suo jcessor and thus viake our attitude to- | ward boxing as ''Krai as it is toward football. I am not arguing against football. understand. I have had 12 .\ears of il ? fiv«" of which Were in a Methodist college. I believe teal about three years of that roun.a stuff is better fir la young man than all he can get fn»..i j books. A few t.r vk mis and broken limbs will fit him best of ail f-«r the battle of life. In America, where we work for our living, I have not round the pathway strewn with flower and it takes game- jness to wi n everything woith winning. I This gameness is belter developed by the sturdy branc.ies of athletics than by any other method, Football is all right? tl.re j years of it ?and so is boxi-<c I contend that if every young man >Hween IS and :! years were forced to train carefully and for each of the three years play ten rough games football, box ten finish prize fights or wrestle as many matches, America wou'd s> m have I fewer cigarette and dru.r fiends, fewer drunkards and better eitizerr. Let us admit that i- it always hon- orable, in colhg" or out io WITX honorably for in m y. Lx t us put a prize on development cf both char- acter and physio Let us do away with ignorance an 1 prejudice Let us most of all wipe the grafters and po- litical microbes out of our office chairs j and give all clean sports a full swing and an c ,ual chance. Jeff Tells How He Feels About Match (By James J. Jeffries, World's Unde- feated Heavyweight Champion.) Right at the beginning I want to repeat what I have so often said, that if I figured Jack Johnson had even an outside chance to defeat me I would not consider the match for a moment, regardless of the purse offered. I think a true sportsman should al- ways enter into a contest with just a little doubt as to the outcome. When I fought Bob Fitzsimmons the first time I possessed all the confidence in the world, but still there was that little doubt, which makes you realize that there is to be a real test. When I fought Tom Sharkey I en- joyed his sameness and admired him for his grit In coming back for more and still more punishment. To this day I like Tom. because he gave his friends a run for their money and handed me the best he had in his pug- ilistic shop. Jim Corbett, than whom there never lived a greater exponent of the manly art of self-defense, was elusive for 23 rounds. Corbett was speedy and his tantalizing blows, while not of the trip- hammer variety, kept coining so fast that I was puzzled for some time. 1 like Corbett for his wonderful ring gen- eralship and sincerity. Gus Ruhlin? Well, the Akron giant was overmatched and was too young in the game to battle with a seasoned warrior. But he deserved credit for the ambition he possessed to annex the heavyweight title. My last fight was with Jack Munroe I never did think that he had any rigid to be taken seriously and to this day I am sorry that I bowed to public de- mand and gave him a match. I said all the time that Munroe was overrated and that our little affair at Butte was grossly exaggerated, to say the least. \ hated to enter the ring at San Fran- cisco that night, for I felt in my heart that Munroe could not give me a con- test and that the public wou'd not get a run for their money in such a one- sided exhibition. Munroe Fight Disgusted Him. In fact, the Munroe fight so disgusted me that I immediately made up my mind to retire. My friends talked me out of this idea for a short time, on the plea that some day, somewhere, there would pop up a likely candidate for the title I held; that I would yet have am- ple time to defend it. Shortly after this I toured the country with my show. "Davy Crockett.'" I met nearly all the leading sport writers and sporting cel- ebrities throughout the country and discussed my intention to retire many times. To make the long story short, at the end of the season, at a little dinner given me at the' College Inn, Chicago, at which were present Lou Houseman, then the sporting editor of the Inter- Ocean and George S'ler, fight critic of the Chicago Tribune. I announced my positive retirement. Next day the news was flashed all over the country, believ- ed by some and doubted by others. I might even add that it was double and tripe doubted by a lot ft them. But in | my own mind there was no doubt. r In fietirement Over Five Years. j Shortly after I retired Kid Eagan, an old friend, came to me and made me an ' offer which would have meant thous- ands of dollars to me, to tour the south- ern country. He proposed to carry a j large tent, such as circuses use, and | was well backed financially. He re- fused to believe me when I turned down his offer on the ground of having retired. ; A few weeks later I again heard from Eagan. This time from Reno, Nev. His message informed me that inasmuch as I had retired from the ring game, the championship belonged to no one In particu'ar. He asked me if I should object to have him stage a battle, be- tween two good heavyweights and bill it for the championship. I wired him to go ahead with his plan and that if I could be of any service to him out- side of fighting myself, to command me. A few days later I again heard from Eagan and he called upon me to act as the third man in the ring between Jack Root and Marvin Hart, the bout he had chosen for the heavyweight champion- ship. I wired him to bill me for ref- eree and I served as the third man in the ring as I had promised. That's where all the original talk comes from about me making Hart a present of the title. I did nothing of the kind, nor had I any right to make presents of that kind. But I refereed the bout and after Hart disposed of Root in the twelfth round I declared Hart the heavyweight champion. Since that time I have refused over $200,000 in purse offers and theatrical engagements. I had made up my mind absolutely to stay retired and no amount of money would swerve me. I also at different times was offered money to say that I might fight so- and-so. with a view of boosting some fight, and declined these offers along with the rest. At different times sport writers would print stuff about me, giving reasons of my retirement and some of them would write a story with a view of touching my pride, and have me come out and say that it was not so and to prove it make a match. However, I would not fall for. that kind of stuff, and while I will always remember them for what they did to me. I sometimes enjoyed the humor of the situation. Tells Why He Comes Back. Only once did I give any promoter the least encouragement, and that was to Jim Cogroth, at the time he had a fight billed between Bi'l Squires and Tommy Burns. I had previously re- fused an offer of $30,000 for my share t > fight Squ'res, when one day Coff- roth came to my home and some preliminary ta'k. me flat-footed \u25a0 r I would fight Squires, under arv circumstances, and for any amount. I thouchtjthe matter over a few min- utes and then gave him my answer, whi-h was: "if Squires or any other foreigner wins the heavyweight title. I wi'l return to the ring and bring it v-ack to America. Burns defeated So"lres and that ended the matter. Later I was again approached with a view of battling with Burns, but re- fused to consider any fight offer so long as an American and a white man held the title. After all these years of retired life, never once swerving from my original announcement. I have a right to ask the public to believe every word I say. and I want to say right here that I will not, if I can help it permit that negro to hold the heavyweight title. If I had the least doubt about the re- sult, no amount of money could induce me to fight him. I would not lose to him for all the money there Is in the world, and so sure as the sun sets on July 4 I will bring back the title to where it belongs. Johnson will not be the champion on July 5. No doubt About Outcome. In conclusion I want to say that I still hold to my old opinion that the public is entitled to a contest. Thay pay to see one and have a right to ex- pect for what they pay to see. I also still believe that the true sportsman shou'd enter into a contest with some little doubt. Hut this case differs from the ordinary. Johnson is not a true sportsman, and for that reason is not entitled to the treatment accorded un- der the rule to a true sportsman. Per- sonally. I d<» not expect a better fight from him than that put up by Jack Monroe. But conditions call for a bout between myself and Johnson and I am positive that I will finish his career as a fighter on the afternoon of July 4. 1910. Just one more word. Regarding the making of this match, and libe'ous and malicious fabrications of some sporting writers, who feel sore because their favorite promoter did not land the match, lei me tell you that it Is a'l bosh. The report of any secret agree- ment between Johnson and myself Is so ridiculous that I do not even deem it worthy of contradiction. Jack Olea- son and Tex Rickard are men that need no coaching from any rival, nor are they in need < f any financial aid to promote a $200,000 affaT. As for myself. T never was even of any wrongdoing, much less take part in anything that was not absolutely on the level. I am feeing, not as well, but much better than I ever did in a"» mv career and would not enter the ring if I had THR LEAST DOUBT ABOUT THE OUTCOME. Novel Plans for the Empire Theater Season. With the announcement of the hi.a! nlans for the present Emoire theater season, Charles Frohman ev'iently has an eye on the boat that Will take him to London and to conquest* new. The final "Stroke in Mr. Frohman'a present American season wi'l be a ser- ies of special productions acted at the Empire theater by a company organ- ized solely for this purpose. There will be no star at the head of this company Certain plays in which Mr. Frohman is interested, because he believes they possess certain values, will be given oh their own accounts, in a way that it is hoped will combine the advantages of the stock company system and the star system. The first of such pro- ductions will be a comedy performance at the Empire theater on Monday March 28. The first of Mr. Frohman's announce- ments is that Miss Maude Adams' sea- son at the Empire theater in "What Every Woman Knows" will end on Saturday, January 15. On the follow- ing Monday Sir Charles Wyndham and Miss Mary Moore, who arrived from England December 24 on the Lusitania, will give the first of sixteen perform- ances of "The Mollusc." This engage- ment will constitute Sir Charles Wynd- ham's farewell appearance on the New York stage. The distinguished actor, famous as one of the most charming personalities on the present English speaking stage, as well as for a long line of acting achievements, conspicu- ously an incomparable David Oarrlck, will pass his seventy third birthday in America next March. The Empire theater season of Bir Charles and Miss Mary Moore In "The Mollusc" will end on Saturday. January 29, after which the actor will set out r>n a farewell tour on the American stage. Monday. January 31, New York will have its first glimpse of Miss Ethel Barrymore in Pinero's "Mid-Channel." where she takes the role of 7oe Blun- dell. Entertain "SCO" Cub. P\TTON. Wash.. D*c. 3*>.? (S->e<dal.> ?Vr. and Mrs. L»o-> F. Ker>-vnr 4 h en- tertained the ?"fiO" clUh ?>t their beau- tiful home or Synd'en'e hil! last even- irc. six tables of i*Q were played during the evening. A lunch wa* served at 11. The roirrr were taste- fully arranged for the occasion, the co'ors of the club bem<r n=ed pro- fuse'y in the dercratlve srhcrr.e. Twen- ty-five members were n*-ej»*>n f n«d ft number of v»»«tors who are home to sped the holidays.
