The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-05-21
WAR OF TIE LEAGUES.
IL Is To 10 n War to the knife, and Either
tho brotherhood or Its Older Rival Will
Have To Go to the Wall-President spaId-
Ing Interviewed.

II Is To he a War Ia the knife, and Either
the brotherhood or Its Older Rival viii
Have To Go to the wall-President spaId-
Ing Interviewed.
lCHICAGo CORRESPONDENCE
Baseball, as money enter
prise, has received black eye. There 10
no denying it. The attendance at the
games of both the League and Brother
hood clubs in the cities of both the East
aud West has been discouragingly small.
The attendance at both the League and
Brotherhood games combined is in num-
bers far short of that which crowded the
League grounds alone during the Nav
games of last year. This thing cannot
GO on forever. Salaries and travelling
expenses, which in a professional club
of the frst-class are something en-
ormous, have to be met Either
the League or the Brotherhood is des-
tined 10 60 TO the wall. The former is
richer both in purse and experience /; the
latter is poor in both. AS both persist
in declaring il a war to the knife, the
reader is left free to indulge his own
vaccinations as to the final result of the
fight.
President Spalding, of the Chicago
League Club. being interviewed as TO tho
outlook for the national game. said:
There will be no compromise-no
in the National League. The eight clubs
that now represent the old organizat on
are in this fight to the finish. 1t is not a
question of one month, one season, or
one year; ii Is question that involves
the entire future of the national game.
The Pittsburg Club will flash the sea-
son, at least so l am assured by the di-
rectors and stockholders. The Cleveland
Club will do the same, and as for New
| = Il. 4 4
dition as Chicago. 1t matters not TO tho
League whether it plays to empty benches
or not. For the time being the interest
in BASEL bali is dead, and no organization
| is drawing a cent. This coalition Of
affairs will continue until one or the othe
of the two organizations now fighting Tor
| supremacy goes to the wall. From this
! time out it will simply be n case of dog
eat dog, and the dog with bulldog tenden-
| cies will live the longest. Money will be
necessary In plenty 10 carry on the fight,
| aud the League is prepared TO go into its
| pocket whenever necessary. 1t will never
miss IA pay day, nor will its ball-players
have to clamor at any time for what is
due them. ! he Players League is no long
| er the brotherhood. 1t is an organization
| of spectators from Wall street, who,
back of one hundred ball players, are
| making an effort TO win some money from
J the game. The National League is not
| speculative body; its hackers are con-
| serva i've business men, who never 90 out
| on flyers. Time will tell whether futures
will win against straight out policy of
| honesty. The fight is not between the
! Brotherhood and the National League.
| 1t is between the National agreement
clubs. comprising upward of 5000 play
| ers, and the speculator' back of the one
| hundred revolving members of the erst-
while Brotherhood of Baseball Players
johnny Ward claims that the league
| policy is TO rule or ruin" said the inter-
| viewer.
That is not true. It bellies all our
| former conduct. We made base ball and
We would be the last to see il go down.
| We fought all the hard battles during the
early struggles and no one regrets the
present trouble more than We When we
found in 1877 that gang of players in
Louisville was selling games it was
| blow that shook the National League game
! TO is foundations. Our club lost $1,000
| that season, and there was q time when
| Mr.. Hilbert and my self were on paper
in the bank which would have wiped me
out entirely had 1 been called upon TO
| pay. But we took the risk We floated
the g lme and it took seven years TO gain
| the confidence of the people. That is only
/ 1eel that We are in the right. and being
in the right, l think we will win this
fight. l don't believe the people will for
! sake the National League. This country
will not support both the Brotherhood
and the National Leagues. II is q ques-
ton of the survival of the fittest, and we
think the Lengue is the tttest. Say
What you will, it is war to the knife.
| One or the other must eventually go to
the wall. If it be possible that the peo-
| pie shall refuse to support the League,
thon the Leagus will acknowlede its de-
feat and retire. But until then we will
| hang together. l was in at the birth of
| he National League, aud / shall stay to
see her decently buried If such a day
| come"
And I'll die with it," put in Capt. An
| son, who had sat in silence during the in
| terview.
! The following incident in the career of
Jimmy Calvin, the well-known pitcher,
is related by the Chicago Tribune:
Some years ago Calvin played in a
semi professional club in ST. Louis, his
home. He would invariably take off his
shoes and pitch in his stocking eet and
| do other things which distinguished him
| from other PLAYERS. One afternoon he
was pitching when the game was close.
In the last half of the ninth inning Gal
wins team needed one run TO tie and
two to win. There were two men out,
men on second and third, and Jim
at the bat. He cot ball 10 his
| liking and landing on it square
lifted it to extreme center. II looked
good for home run and the crowd rose
TO its feet and cheered. The center
fielder, however. after a long run, turned
and pulled the ball down with one hand.
Calvin no sooner saw this than, cutting
first base, he started across the diamond
after the fielder with blood in his eve.
The luckless fielder saw him coming, and
knowing his popularity waited or no ar
gument. Clearing the fence with a bound
he started across the country, carrying
! the ball his team had won. He soon dis
tanced his pursuer and walked back to
the city in his uniform. 1t was a long
time before Calvin would forgive him.
BASEBALL NOTES.
Beckley covers first base rs neatly az
any man that ever felt of b se-ball.
Both the League and Brotherhood have
n number of crippled men. The cold
weather is accountable for it.
Pitcher Devlin, formerly of the St.
Louis club, is pitching for Sioux City.
| Ewing saws he is sorry for Ros Barnes.