Wichita eagle., 1889-12-08
4 DREAD DISEASE.
An Epidemic of Swelled Heads
in the Baseball World.
MAGNATES AND PLAYERS SUFFER.

To the ESils of This Disease Are Due the
Clash Between tho Managers and the
Brotherhood and Tho Troubles Of the
American Association.
The sophistical arguments on the baseball
situation adduced by some writer's on the
game have done considerable to cause the
complex nature Of the baseball fabric Of to-
day, and the fallacious reasoning as to cause
and effect, incompetency in the matter Of
financial reckoning and bombastical and
adulatory accounts Of work done by players,
as well as almost sycophantic congratulations
on managerial actions, have caused what is
known as ''swelled heads" to prevail in the
ranks of the bat wielders and among the
managers. And be it understood that this
term is of the vernacalar and not meant to
be construed as applied Extensively. Ill feel
ing has been engendered and the players and
managers have been led to believe that to
each was due the success Of the national
game.
''Swelled head" be it known, is a disease
peculiar to baseballists and their immediate
followers. 1t is harmless in its incipiency
and is only dangerous in the last stage. 1t is
then apparent by the unnatural actions of
the patient, who assumes unwonted airs and
natty attire. His manner becomes cold and
his taciturnity is apparent as he struts along
the street with a truly patrician air. At
this time there is also evident certain hest
fancy of speech. He is oracular in utterance
and INDUCES in a superf1uous use of the per-
sonal pronoun. These are the more common
symptoms.
1t has been said that the chaotic state Of
affairs basebaIlistic was due to this disease,
and that the disease itself is due to newspaper
putting" and adulation by partisan writers.
But this must not be taken to mean that the
pencil pushers have been guilty Of any wrong
ful acts. On the contrary, they have done SO
only because the public demanded it of them.
l have also aided in spreading this dread
disease by the same methods, for the same
reason, and am by no means sure that at
times have not experienced a mild attack Of
the complaint. But we have the effect, and
must be shown the cause. Today we have
players arrayed against managers. We have
the American association badly storm beaten,
if not totally wrecked; we have large invest
ments imperAed, and all on account of this
enlargement of the Uranium.
1t needs no deep thinker or philosopher to
see the truth of all this. The Players brother
hood was formed because some players had
"swelled heads" The League denied the
right of arbitration to the Brotherhood be-
cause some magnates had 'swelled heads"
and the split in the American association was
caused by the clashing of the interests of two
men whose heads were sweled and who really
fought to the bitter end in order to show the
world which had the most gigantic ''head."
Think you that the Brotherhood would be
formed but for the fulsome fattery showered
by the press on John NJ Ward? Think you
that the League would have denied the play
ers the rights they asked but for the wide
spread advertising and putting" of the mag
natesl Would Chris Won der Abe and Charlie
Byrne have fought to the finish and jeopar-
died their invested properties but for the fact
that their respective admirers in the newspa-
per line praised them beyond measure and
gave each cause to believe that the life of
the Association depended on his being
at the helma Oh, mol Ward, Spalding
Won der Abe and Byrne all deserve credit for
work done, but they have been accorded
publicity, and sought to please those who
gave it to them. News and notoriety were
twin brothers Notoriety begot big head,
and big head produced warfare, which is still
being waged.
But ''swelled head" or "big head" has an
other phase. In this last it is known as '.long
head" and, strange to say, Ward, Won der
Abe, Spalding and Byrne are all afflicted
with it. Its most marked symptoms are an
adaptability to circumstances on the part of
the afflicted and facility to concoct schemes
that are not only feasible, but probably prof
liable Wards ''swelled head" begot ''long
head" and it originated the players league,
with a large monetary capital and
vested rights. Won der Ahe's "long
head" brought him from an obscure
liquor dealer in ST. Louis to become
one of its real estate barons, baseball mag
nate political power and large capitalist
Byrne's ''long head" made him leader in
baseball councils, I'D him to forsake the
American associSli6a and jump into the Ma
tional league; wife Spalding's lengthy era
MUM contains so much good sense that he
has risen from position as baseball pitcher
to that of leading merchant, with bank
account of half a million of dollars or more.
Similarly afflicted are John B. Day, A. II.
Soden, Henry Vonderhorst and many other
baseball men.
But the good that "big head" has done does
not offset the bad. The latter phase Of the
disease is accountable for all the harm that
baseball has suffered. The ''swslled head" Of
Henry Lucas in 1883 caused the collapse of
the Cleveland club, the expulsion of several
players by the League snd severe injury to
the game The ''big head" Of Devlin and
Craver in 1876 brought disgrace on the Lou
isville club, and shame on four men pre-
viously believed to be honest, and ''swelIed
head" today threatens to bring about series
of catnstrophies that will disrupt the exist
ing governing bodies and assist in degrading
the national game Hence it behooves those
who have ''long heads to put them together
and devise ways and means Of avoiding the
shoals and reefs that threaten them. This
can easily be done if mediation be INDUCED
in and coalition of interests be decided
upon. But it must be done without any par
tisan ''head swelling" The Brotherhood and
League must refuse to harken to the words
of the shouter whose partisanship is pro-
claimed as loudly as the cries of the whang-
doodle seeking her young. Ward, Spalding,
ct al, must make their ''long heads work
against the Vaccinations Of the ''swelied
heads" and bring about the amalgamation,
which viii be at once pleasurable and profit
able W. L HARRIS