Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-30
Al. Johnson's Difficulty.

1t is only fair to assume that everybody who
has made and who is trying to make deals amid
the baseball complications have tried to make
or are trying to make the best terms possible
for themselves. In SO doing, of course. each
one has been acting strictly within his right.
But there is such thing acting too much
within our right 1 mean that at times it is
possible to enforce our right too much. Many
= good cause has heen lost and many bright pros
pects entirely blighJed by the absence of little
policy, and it is at JUnctures of this kind that
q good diplomat will be successful while the
man who ugiGly sticks to a principle of
personal right makes an absolute failure. Well,
] am inclined to think that Albert L. johnson
is in all respects making matters much more
Improbable and unpleasant for himself than
they might otherwise be- Mr.. JohnsOn's
actions recently have forcibly reminded me of
that old nursery story about the boy and the
nuts. 1t is worth repeating here. Nursery
tradition tell US Of greedy little boy
put his hand inside to help himself
and he grasped as many as his
hand could hold But the greedy little
fellows hand was SO much increased in size by
holding the nuts that his hand stuck fast in the
mouth of the jar. Just then somebody ap-
preached and to escape the little fellow had to
relinqulsh the entire lot, and he got nothing.
Had that greedy little chap been content to
take reasonable quantity he could easily have
been out OF the way with fair share in his
possession. This little lesson of Over-reaching
ones self is certainly applicable to Mr.. John
sons case. He started out by wanting no less
than $4,000 for his baseball interests. The
latest news is to the effect that he will be con-
tent with $4,000. The National League, under
stand, has offered him SIS, ,0c0, the same amount
of money that Chicago P.L. magnates we're paid.
Most certainly it is not my business to try and
prevent Mr.. Johnson from getting every dollar
TO which he thinks he has a claim but am
certainly within my right as public writer
when 1 say that he is entirely at the mercy of
those with whom he is dealing or negotiating;
indeed, am of opinion thatif he is not content
TO take smaller hold like the little boy he will
get nothing at all. OF course Mr.. Johnson's
threats about taking all the ball players on his
side is absolute nonsense, and as a business
man he must know that threat of that kind
will have no weight whatever with anybody.
Depend upon il, the idle players have had all
they want of experiments, either in forming
new league or anything else. They know that
II is to their advantage TO have the old and
Profitable state of things re-established.
The American Association.
There seems to be no longer any doubt about
the makeup of the American Association for
next year. The annual meeting of that organi-
Eation on Monday was one of those affairs in
which there is more than meets the eye. The
business done was not, on the face Of it, very
great and it was to a very great extent mislead-
ing. Judging from outward appearances it
would seem that Rochester, Syracuse and To-
ledo would still be 'in it." Why, representa-
tives OF these teams were put on committees to
make arrangements for the Association for
next year. However, they will not stay there,
and as 1 remarked last week it seems to be GER
tain that the Boston and Philadelphia p. L
clubs will be in the Eastern half of the Asso-
citation and that Chicago will be in the Western
half. This will give the Association q better
circuit than it has ever had and will, indeed, be
q victory for the P. L. Club Of Boston. A year
ago that club started in by absolute encroach-
ment and the club was soon thoroughly estab-
lished. Now it is about to be recog-
nized as an established organization
and will doubtless take its place as
such amid the full recognition of those whom
it tried to kill. There is not much defeat in
this. That the Association will do right in ad.
mitting Chicago or Milwaukee, Boston and
Philadelphia there is no doubt, because the