Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1905 — Glean Football Or None. [ARTICLE]

Glean Football Or None.

However strenuous next Saturday’s football game may be, aud it promises to be a Corker, there ' should be no rowdyism permitted, | either inside the lines or outside. The first player caught “slugging” or engaging in any rough or da”gerous play, contrary to the rules, should be put out of the game, then and there. There should also be enough special offi jers on hand to keep strict order on*the side lines, and any person indulging in rough conduct, swearing or indecent talk be at once arrested and prosecuted. Last Saturday’s experience should put a final end to all rough and dirty play, and to quarrelling and fighting inside the lines and to all blackguardism outside of them. Heretofore our high s ;hool games have been conducted,in a fair and gentlemanly and sportsmanlike manner. Let us return to that practice and depart not again from it, even if it is necessary to turn half our best players out of the game. School athletics that are not fair and gentlemanly, are worse than none at all.

But in thus demanding clean football in the future, we are not at all admitting that what was rep reh ensible in last Satnrday’s game Kvas all the fault of our players. In fact, there is a strongly prevailing opinion that the slugging started |on the other side. The Shortridge boys came up confidently ex pecting an easy victory and when our boys demonstrated their sup eriority by a touch down in three minutes, without the sign of unfairness, some of the Shortridge players are said to have become desperate, and to have started the rough play, at once. Be that as it may however it would not justify our players in resorting to the same or worse methods in return. Still less does it justify the rowdy conduct from the sidelines which the Shortridge players, after the game was over, said was their principal cause of complaint in the treatment they received here.