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Show Beware, Frank, Don't Peeve Percy nnn una nnn nnn nnn Wrist in Danger of Smart Slap By FRANK G. MENKE. By International News Service. NEW YORK, Jan. 22. Percy Haughton's leap into the baseball base-ball arena as president and part owner of the Boston Braves Causes considerable speculation as to just how the "Czar of Harvard" is going go-ing to conduct himself in future toward the public in general and the newspaper men in particular. Kaughton's motto as coach of Harvard Har-vard seemed to be something along the lines of "the public be darned." Toward To-ward sporting writers his attitude, for the most part, was one of scorn. He " panned' ' the writers ever and anon, rharged "pernicious activity,'' and by his pointed remarks made some enemies among the newspaper fraternity. When an appeal was made to Houghton Hough-ton to number the Harvard players so that the enjoyment of the spectators might be increased. Haughtou loftily un-Evered un-Evered that Harvard "football wasn 't being played for the public '-that it was being played for Harvard. He added that "convicts are numbered, and I won't permit, niy men to be numbered. ' H was perfectly all right for llaugh-ton llaugh-ton to roast the newspaper men and ignore ig-nore the welfare of the long-f.n tiering public while he was nothing but a football foot-ball coach, but such tactics won't do as a baseball magnate. When he was a coach it meant nothing to H;i ugh ton whether his team played to 60,000 persons per-sons or 1000. He got his pay just the same. It's Different Now. But as a magnate aud ah ovriW of stock in a baseball club he finds himself in a position where he must cater to the public and whpre he must treat sporting sport-ing writers with much more consideration considera-tion and decency than he bestowed upon theni when he w;is lifting Harvard to the crest of the football world. One ponders, too, on just what sort of conditions will prevail within the Bra.ves ' outfit next season. Will Haugbton content himself with handling the executive affairs of the club a.lone? Or will he try to assist or overrule George Stalling? in the management of the team? Haughton'S record as a football rnah show-? that he is a genius in developing raw material a wizard in welding it together. If the Braves got awy.to a poor t"art. will Haughtun penmt 'tali-ings 'tali-ings to tinker with the machine a? he ee fit or will TTaughton, "tho czar." jump in and. beau e of his riuMr of ownership, attempt to pull th team out of tho rut? What would happen If Haughton, the Owher, stepped in and tried to tell Stalling?, in plain-spoken word?, just how he wanted the team run? Would it be r meeting of the irresistible force with the immovable object. Those are the Questions that ar agitating agi-tating Bncton fnhdom and they also are the question? that the country at large hap b?en asking since the change in the ow-nership of the oue-time world champions. Popularity Essential The pornilarirV of a ball club often denehds upon the personality of its 6wndr, or that member of the associate owTiership who comes in contact with the public. Jim Oaffney ranged as one of the most, popular men that ever graced the 1 'amend era me. Onfl'noy wn? genuinely 'iV.-M bv the host of sporting writeis. Garl'iev'-? afl'abilitv, his hon.xty and ?in-ceritv, ?in-ceritv, his willingness to deal out news, find his genuine sportsmanship marie a friend of every man with whom he came in contact. Bo.oaue Gafi'uey wtis no souare, so j clean aud so almighty kind, every sport writer who knew him was only too glad to say kiud words about him, and about his team. In Boston Gaffuey was a general favorite. In the spring of 1914 when his team was in the rut the boys "pulled" for him; they even alibied for him. And when Gaffnev's outfit breezed under the October wire ahead of the field the victory of the Braves gave to the newspaper fellows just as much joy as it gave to Gail'uey. Up to Percy. Haughton, in temperament and in his conduct toward the newspaper boys, "seems to be the exact opposite. Gaffuey Gaff-uey was the friend and the pal of the sport writers; Haughton has been looked upon as little snore than an enemy. Haughton may change his colors-he colors-he may develop into what the newspaper folks term "a regular fellow," He may shed his cold exterior and make himself really popular. And then, again, he may not. He may think that he doesn't need the friendship of the newspaper boys aud the public to whom they speak each I day through the columns of their papers, j That is up to Haughton. But some day he ma.v realize that it's better to ; have the friendship of the newspaper I fraternity and to have them boosting his particular game than it is for them to feel just a lukewarm interest iri him and j to be passive over the achievements of j his ball club. |