, 1876-08-06

last not even the stockholders would come out
Of course, the Club finished the season in debt
and with players unpaid and grumbling.
During the winter steps were taken to put
matters straight again, and to get the tAth-
lctic Climb on square basis, not only financially,
but morally. 4 few Of its good friends united
in what proved a successful attempt to oust
Spering, and their success was a gratifying one
to the party which undertook it. The next
move was to elect lMr T. J. Smith President,
and to put the management in the hands Of Al
Reach, for long time player, but later q
dealer in ball goods This never came to any
thing, however, as within short time after the
season opened A. f. WRIGHT was made man.
ager as well as Secretary Of the Club. 1t does
from the nine as manager and player has
wrought much good. In fact it has seemed to
a good many people rs If the Club was not the
Athletic ut all without Dick, who has been SO
long its stauncA friend and supporter, and it is
certain that the management OF alr. Wright has
not been anv improvement over its predecessors
in the way Of finances or SUCCESS in the game.
Now tue results of this new system are begin
ming to be seen very clearly, and am grieyed
to say that cannot find any one who sees tho
way OUT Of them. Financially the season so far
has been pronounced failure, and am writing
by tue book when I say that the Club owes its
players from $500 to $500 apiece On this years
contract, beside round sum on last years. The
best end of the season having gone BY and left
these results, it takes very little Of prophet to
see where the balance must be at the close. And
this is made worse by the fact that there is no
strong association behind the Club, as is the case
in some other cities. The officers ut the begin
ming of the season rather unwiscly, as it now
seems, put the shares OF stock so low that they
amounted to little more than payments for sea-
son seats, and on that basis large number were
sold. This, Of course, gave audiences of q good
size, but OF no paying capacity for the games
played here, and the average has been so small
that expenses could not be met out of them.
to attract a floating population which would at
tend the games, has not had that effect; but, on
the contrary, has SO engrossed the attention of
residents that they have not turned out Us well
as in former years. It has, therefore, been q
positive injury, instead Of help, to ball-play-
ing,
But after all there is not SO much blame to be
attached to the people Us to the management,
which has steadily been going from bad TO worse
for several years, and has pretty nearly reached
the bottom, whence it must either drop through
or spring up. Not the least among the evils Of
this management has been the composition Of
the nine, which has been made up Of too many
Youngsters, too few solid hard workers, and
with too large sprinkling Of discrcditables,
From all the facts of which have spoken,
lied, I am forced to the conclusion that the
bankruptcy and financial ruin which have SO
long been hanging over the Club cannot be
longer STAYED off or aVcrted, and that it must
70 under at the end Of this season if not be-
fore: The players are grumbllng loudly in the the
grounds, about their pay, and ut other things
Connected Herewith, and there is so much dis
satisfaction that the semblance Of control has
departed from the managers. If an order is
given that doesn't suit the player, he is quite
likely to disobey it, and when heis demonstrated
haa 4nrS Fp36v t Paw m and Int