The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-06-05
SPALDING is FOR WAR.
THE LEAGUE MAGNATE PREDICTS
THE PLAYERS DOWNFALL.

He Declares that the Old Organization
Will Fight Them to the Death-An I'm
pleasant Prospect for the National Game
Around the Bases.
[Chicago speciall
The season of 1890 promises to be the
most disastrous in the history of base
ball. The minor leagues have COM
menced to feel the effects of the base
ball war, and some of them are about to
go to the wall. The International League
is standing on the brink, and several other
minor leagues are not any too strong
The American Association, too, is losing
money. Brooklyn has already Haunted
the distress signal. This is not surpris-
ing. The club was organized there on
| the Sunday games ana beer privilege
basis, and had no place in reputable
base ball. 1t has been a losing venture
| from the first, and the sooner it is out of
the way the better. II the war of exter-
mination continues, and either the Ma
tional or Players League go to the wall,
| then the year of 1890 will always be
looked back to as a year of disaster. At
all events it will take years for some to
get back their losses of the season.
i remarked some time ago, said Pres
ident A. G.. Spalding, of the Chicago
League Club. in an interview the other
day, that the interest in professional
|
| / have seen nothing since to change my
views. Let us analyze the attendance of
both leagues during the past few days.
The total attendance of the four National
League games Monday aggregated, ac-
| cording to newspaper accounts, 4, 65l
people, and the Players League 3,413.
| Tuesday the one National League game
attracted 500 people and the two Brother
hood games drew AL. On Wednesday,
beautiful day, the four National League
| games drew 1929 and the Players
League 1914. Yesterday the National
| League drew 4,S45 people and the
players 4, 1863. Thus we have a total at
tendance for four days at thirteen of the
National League games of Is, 1876 people,
while the Players League drew Is, 127
| people for foul teen games. The average.
| on this basis, for the National League ig
| l, 1853, against 937 for the Players League,
or grand average of 1,040 people for
both leagues. Taking the last two or
three years as a basis, the National
League, without opposition (and no fall
ing off in interest), would average about
! 1880 people per game. This shows that
the grand average of attendance this year
is l,04O, against $3.50 for the National
League without opposition.
Without allowing for the large compli-
mentary list and the 25-cent admission,
| and estimating it at so cents per head,
the total receipts of the last thirteen Ma
tional League games in the four best
cities in the country amounted to $7,363,
or $502 per game, or $29l per club, as
| against So, 563 for the fourteen Players
League games, or $468 per game, or 1924
per club. These receipts barely pay the
expenses of the home clQb in advertising
and the general expenses of putting the
| game on, and about sufficient to pay the
travelling expenses of the visiting club.
We'll, on these figures where are the
| Players League salaries to come from
| The salaries of the National League play
ers will come from the treasures of the
clubs and the Players League salaries
must come from the receipts after the ex-
penses have been paid. If the truth were
known, it is doubtful if many of the
| players in the Broth erhood have received
much pay since the season has opened
excepting the advances they got during
| the winter. How long can this sort of
thing continue? AS long as the National
League clubs can supply sufficient money
| and pay salaries, and as long as the Broth
erhood leaders can keep the rank and file
of their players satisfied with glitter.ng
| promises instead of cash,
Now as to the inducements to main
tain the fight presented to the hackers.
| The players have signed contracts with
| them agreeing to take their salaries out OF
the gate receipts. Furthermore, what in
| ducement is there for their hackers to
| put out money on losing venture when,
even should they win, they can receive
only one half the profits and take all the
risks. Without reference as to what may
happen to the National League it is sim
ply question of time when the Brother
hood bubble must burst. It is organized
| on a Misrepresentation and misappre-
| hension of facts. The hackers were led
| into it by the players on promises of big
profits aud in turn they tied the players
up for three years on gate receipt salary
contract. All this means that the hackers,
with the possible exception of one club,
have hopelessly lost all the money they
put into the scheme, with no chance of
| getting it out, and the players will not
| get one-half the salaries promised them.
Il am for war. incorporating and
without quarter. was opposed to"it at
first, but now want to fight until one of
us drops dead. Mind you. the work has
| not yet begun. The National League
was built up by fourteen years of the
most assiduous labor. We had one grand
enemy to fight. That enemy was de-
moralization. It faced us in many guises
field, rough elements, want OF discipline,
lack Of confidence. We met them all,
cut our hands little, but we won. Now
we have to face the old problem again.
But IS yet only the opening guns have
been fired. The slaughter is yet to come.
And the league is prepared for the
slaughter.
Il can see C 'rly the outlines of the
future. If the layers League lasts
there will be 25-cent baseball, Sunday
games, beer will flow in the grand stands,
and the industry will be ruined by utter
destruction as the grand finale of the
play. The league, I promise you, will
hold on until it is dashed to pieces
against the rocks of rebellion and demon
alization. I stand ready TO go out of the
business and wash my hands clean of it
all when the hour comes"
Baseball Notes.
Manager Wright thinks Rhines, the
Cincinnati pitcher, the best in che league.
AnsOn while in BOSTON said that he