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Show A. A.U. Again to Fore; This Time on Trail of Folks Who Play Tennis Chairman of Registration Committee Files Protest Against Ott Romney, Charging Professionalism; Profession-alism; All Who Played With Romney Will Lose Amateur Standing If Protest Prevails; Does Not Appear That A. A. U. Has Authority. THK Amateur Athletic union, which will be recalled as the organization organiza-tion which attempted to deprive high school pupils of the right to use pyninastie find athletic equipment for which the taxpayers' paiu, ;s again to the fore. The Amateur Athletic union lasted but a round and a half in the high school matter, going down and out in the second with a stout left hook to the jaw. This time the Amateur Athletic union is after other prey. The outfit that succeeded in attaching so much of unsavory un-savory repute to its skirts during the high school affair is now after the tennis ten-nis players of Utah. At this time it does not appear that the Amateur Athletic Ath-letic union has anything to do witl) the National Lawn Tenuis association, under whose rules and regulations tennis ten-nis is played in Utah, but a little thing like- that doesn 't feaze the armor-plated armor-plated A. A. V. Since the A. A. Ij. assumes jurisdiction over practically everything under the sun, living or dead, why should it hesitate to set itself it-self up as a sovereign body to which men and women and boys and girls must bow the knee who seek a little exercise and recreation by resort to the tennis racquet? No, indeed; the-, A, A. V. isn't timid, whatever else It i. Would Be Far-reaching. Practically every tennis player of prominence in Salt Lake anil Utah would be classed as a professional if the protest lodged witli the Desoret gymnasium authorities bv Dr. Charles G. riummer, chairman of tho registration registra-tion committee of the local branch of the A. A. II. against the playing of Ott Homney in amateur competitions should .be upheld by the United States National Lawn Tennis association, tho supreme tenuis body of the country. Dr. Plummer charges that Romney is a professional owing to the fact that he is under contract to coach tho Billings, Bil-lings, Mont., high school athletes noxt year, and that he is ineligible to compete com-pete in amateur tennis competitions for this reason. JIo asserts, moreover, that every person who has played with Romney Rom-ney in the Deseret or -state tournaments is also a professional, and that all who have played with these have become-( become-( tainted" as well. Owing to Dr. Plummer 'a protest, tho matches in which Romney was scheduled to play have been postponed by tho Deseret, officials until the question can be settled. set-tled. Officers Hold Different View. According to President. T. B. Parker and other officers of the lntermountaiu Tennis association, however, there is little need for Utah players to worry about their standing. It develops that the. question of Romney 's eligibility was investigated by the tournament committee com-mittee of the luLer mountain association associa-tion at the request of Dr. Plummer just, before the state tournament, and that the committee decided that Homney was eligible under the rules of the National Tennis association. Yesterday Mr. Parker Par-ker and Paul Bnssott, secretary of the tenuis association, said that they knew of no new evidence in the case. The protest against Romney was based on a rule of the A. A. U. which stateH that a person becomes a professional immediately im-mediately upon his pxprrsMriR an Inien-tion Inien-tion to become- a professional. Homney is under a contract to coach at Illllngs High school, but he will not begin actual coach ins until next fall. Yesterday Dr. Plummer said that he had received R telegram from the .secretary of th National Na-tional Lawn Tennis npspocia t ion to the effect that the association body also has ! such a rule. I Local tennis officials say that they have not seen the lelegram and that they ' know of no such rule being in existence ! in the National Tennis association's con-! con-! stitution or by-laws. Moreover, they Bay, there Ir no connection between the A. A. anii the National I, awn Tennis asno- cialion anrl the rules of the former body I are not binding on tennis players. Whole Matter Foolish. President Parker yesterday summed up tho situation as follows: I think the whole trouble Is more or less imaginary. 1 am not aware of I any evidence Ihat would show th;it Romncv at preset)! 1h h professional. The rules of the National Lawn Teit-' Teit-' nis associat ion and the A. A. I,', a re en! i rely separa le. If the protest in ; correct, about twenty-live plnyoin I named by I r. Plummer are professionals profes-sionals because they have played with ! Romney, and It would be a simple ! matter of in'entgMlon to show Hint prucllcally the entire, tennis population popula-tion of the slate is In a similar position. posi-tion. I t hi nk the whole mat ter in rather foolish. The Nationnl Lawn Tennis association constitution and by-laws make no inen-: inen-: 1 im of any con nc-t ion lie t ween its rules and those of the A. A. If, Moreover, it has no rule which s t ;i tes de fi n i id y Dm l a player is a professl'miil simplv because he has ex pre.Kse ;i n inl ent Ion to become a. professional. The rub- in question Is a part of Article II, Section 4, which reads: An amateur is one who ha n not plpved, i nst nicferl, pursued or assisted in the pursuit of tennis or other athletic ath-letic ?:erci( as a means of livelihood or for Kain or any emolument, Unless instructions are received from the officers of Hie national ten ns bod v no new ;i ! ion will be taken by the n-! n-! ermoun ta in a ssocbi i ion. accord In to president Parker, that bodv having nl-ready nl-ready set ! led the rna Tter to the satisfaction satis-faction of pra-cticdlly everybody except 1 ir. Plummer. I'iiIckm new evidence is present ed or a new in t ei pret a t ion of the rules brought to liht the case will be allnwe.i to stand as it is'. President Parker added thM the national officers would ma Ice no off i da 1 rul i m; until they had confer red with the local tennis authorities. |