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IMPORTANT MEETING OF SPORTSMEN Military Officers Join with Amate-ars and Professionals to Encourage Racing and Breedin- NEW YORK. N. V.. .Tanuary 12.— Officer, of the I National Bteoaseehase and Hunts Association and I about one hundred vidaries of the cross-country I ■Beat me; today at the Commodore Hotel in response i I to the invitation of the Hunts committee sent out | on December 2$. It was aa open session, held for I the aaraoae of getting ideas of amateur horsemen j on the sabjeet of strengthening and Improving the [ apart of rteepiechesiag, and perhaaa taking bobm action to that m. The men who signed the call I I for the meeting were A. Henry Htgginson, Henry W. Hull. Charles B. Mather. ;. Rernnrd Fenwick. II. S. Rage. .1. B. Davis. F. S. von Stade. Henry 8. Vaughan. Ruins C. Finch ami Frunk .1. Rryan. the secretary of the National Steeplechase and Hunts Association, "Conditions due to Ihe late war." they say, "lack of interest in the right aaarters, scarcity of boraes and amateur riders, with the lowering of the weights, distances and fences, have brought the sport of stccplecliasing to the low water mark of the last twenty years. "It is the object of the Hunts committee to bring back the s|H rr to its highest level by invoking the latere*! of military and hunting men and the amateur sportsmen of the country, who are its backbone: to increase the distances, raise the weights and build up the fences, so thai the staying, jumping and weight carrying ability of our horses is not sacrificed to mere speed and the high cost of steepleehasiag candidales; to encourage the demand for the breed of horse that is suitable for cavaliw and hunting, and when at his best could hold his own over ihe Aintree fences in the Craml National; to encourage and give amateur and military steeple-liases." Sportsmen from all corners of the I nited States attended the meeting this afternoon. In addition to amateur and professional representatives there were many military officers consigned by the g -eraaaeat from their different departments to give their views on the necessity of raising good bones and encouraging borseasaaship. The gist of every upss I liaaa showed that the government is more than anxious to lend a helping hand to encourage the breeding of good horses and assisting in the education of horsemen. The speech of Major Gay Henry, who came to re areata! lie- adjutant generals office, was marked in its encouragement of breeding and racing bersea. "We are anxiou- to h.lp." -aid Major Henry, "and will do so to the utmost. We cannot expect to do mark this year, but we will make a beginning and will no doubt start an army racing association in the near fulure. I can safely say that the war department will make a serious effort Io encourage military racing, and it will not be long before all Ihe army races will he well filled. The younger element Of the war department must educate our s.-nior officers to know the sjHirt of contest with borsci will increase their efficiency. At preseat the work is in its infancy, but it will grow." REMOUNT DEPARTMENT TO HELP. Col niei Koch, representing the reatoaat department, said that his department would work along Hie same lines s* the amateur racing association-ill an effort to encourage the breeding of good horses, as well as making good Midlers. "All this can be Ion.- by everyone palling together, soldier- and eiTiUnn* alike." continued the Colonel. "We need better horses in the army. The remount mu-t depend upon the civilian element for help. Today it i- impossible to gei cavalry hor-cs suitable for the work they have to perform. 1 might say that at this moment we could BO! reaaoaat our present army. What we -houid do in war time I cannot predict. You gentlemen call rest aaaared the remount de partineiit will do all in its power to farther the I 1. 1 est of i,t c. dun.- good h raes " Colonel Geeta stated that the war department was now teaching students to ride and that Harvard weald have not only a horse show, but thai polo would be tatoaraged as well as contests for speed. "Brea now." said Colonel Joetz. "suggestions hav. been made ihat the government provide polo ponies and that hunting would be encouraged. All these things should have good resalts on the rising gen • ration for civilian as well as military purpose-" Many speeches were made b sportsmen preseat. Chairman A. Henry Higgiaooa said the meeting had been called lo encourage amnteur and pro tessioaal steeplecbaeiag, polo, hunting and other forms of ouidoor am uae meat, explaining that much could lie done by co-operation and unity. liarry S. Rase told of the wonderful interest in the aerate at sport in Baropeaa eoaatttes. "There is no reason why we should be trailers," said the dean of amateur riders Mr. C. K. Mather, the noted master I f hound-, spoke of the delightful COaatrj meetiagS thai were held in Pennsylvania and Delaware and hoped soon to see as great interest in other -tates. Joseph Davis said that the glory of owning a good Joanne* was almost sufficient recompense for the outlay, but intimated that tin a--oi lations should al-o render all aid possible in a financial way as th" bigger the prize at stake* the greater tin bsreatrre to be in ram-net it ion. Among those present were CeteaeTC. P. George, representing he chief of Geacral staff: Major Gay Henry, repreoeatiag the Adjutant Generals office; Colonel Koch of the Remount Department. Major Henry Leonard, representing the Marine Corps of Washington, and Colonel A. K. P.. Lyman, al-o representing a branch of the army. All told there were more than one hundred f* pa* StBtatrre sport* men pre Btat, every one of prominence and con neoted with the amateur branch af -ports. Mr-. Payac Whlfhej and Mr-. Ambrose Clarke were alee among those present. Tile mi-cling was voted the nucleus of n much closer relationship between the civilian element imd the army in the way of ouidoor sports, the thoroughbred and lacinj; contests.
