Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-24
MORE FROM SPALDING
The Chicago President Means 10 Fight
to the Bitter End.
HE REPEATS sUME OLD HISTORY.
Figures Showing How the Old League is
Having the Best of 1t.
WHAT THE END OF 1T WILL LIKELY BE

CHICAGO, May 23-"I remarked some
time ago." remarked Mr.. spslding, of the
Chicago League club, to-day, "that the in
terest in professional baseball in leading
cities was dying out. 1 have seen nothing
since to change my views. want to call
your attention to the extraordinarily poor
attendance at the games abroad in the
East for the past week. The eight games of
ball played by the Players and the National
Leagues do not draw out half as many people
as four games of the League were won't to do
in the past"
What are you going to do about it?''
"Going to do about it? well. I'll tell you
what am going to do about it. I am going to
stick in this fight until every one of my League
partners desert me.
AM FOR WAR,
uncompromising and without quarter. I was
opposed to it at first, but now l want to fight
until one of us drops dead. Mind you, the
work has not yet begun. The National League
was built up by IA years of the most assiduous
labor We had one grand enemy to fight
That enemy was decentralization. 1t faced us
in many guises-crooked baseball, dirty work
on the field, rough elements want of dis
clpline, lack of confidence. We met them all,
cut our hands a little. but we won. Now we
have to face the old problem again. But as yet
only the opening guns have been fired The
slaughter is yet to come And the League is
prepared for slaughter.
= II can see clearly the outline of the future.
If the Players League lasts there will be %
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 plan. the League, promise you, Will
hold on until it is dashed to pieces against the
rocks of rebellion and Generalization. 1stand
ready to 60 out of the business and wash my
hands clean of it all when the hour comes"
"And you see no salvation p
None except the withdrawal of the Players
League from the field"
SOME FIGURING.
Mr.. Spalding then figured up the attendance
at the games played thus far this week. His
figures showed that in l3 games the League had
an aggregate attendance of Is l26 people, while
In IA games the Brotherhood drew 13 l27, an av-
erage for the League of ], ,l63 and for the Broth
erhood of 937. The average for the League
alone for the past two or three years was about
3,400. At an average of so cents per head. and
not allowing for the large complimentary list,
the average receipts per club per game in the
four bestpaying League cities in the country
this week has been S234. or about enough to
pay travelling expenses, advertising and other
incidentals of putting the game on the held,ex-
elusive of salaries.
Now" said Mr.. Spalding. in conclusion, II
am going to make prediction. If it should
ram on Decoration Day. the PLAYERS League
will find it difficult to sail their craft through
June. That is to say. the moueyed men who
are waiting for Decoration Day to repay them
for their losses will have had enough sport to
satisfy them for life. In case 1t should not
rain on Decoration Day, then Pll postpone the
the crash until midsummer. Should it rain on
July 4, the Players League will explode like
giant frecracker before the season is over.
Should it rain on neither day, and the attend
ance continues as poor as it is now, the Play
ers League will never open a second season."