Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
Baseball Hagnates and Their New
Monopoly That Has Been
Formed During the Week.
SOME OF ITS EVIL FEATURES.
Greed and Stupidity Of the Ball Players
the Cause Of the HeW
Corporation.
TEE STANDARD OF AMATEUR BOXING.
Opirioat About the Coming Battle Between Carroll
and Myer Tuesday Night

Out Of The warrine factions that have for
a long time past made baseball wearisome
end expensive has evolved the most gigan-
tic monopolistic organization that has ever
been identified with the national game.
One of the most despotio leagues ever
known has been organized. and as far as the
rraynates are concerned for the time being
there is peace. As rule peace
IS always desirable, and conse-
quently we generally have peace-at-any-
price people In this instance, the fact of
peace being re-established among the lead
ing msgnates, is such a pleasing occurrence
that 1t 6iverts attention from the huge
monopoly that has been formed to attain it.
b and by the public will have time and
opportunity TO examine this latest baseball
HYDRA.
Time will tell whether or not the means
employed to bring ail the leading baseball
Enirits into one common are the best. Very
often we have TO make many sacrifices to
make peace with our neighbors and surely
in this instance the National League has
made remarkable sacrifices and just as sure
as We live the methods employed to
brig us peace at present viii sooner or
later introduce evils as great if not greater
than any we have had. 1t is only few
davs since every man who in anv way was
connected with baseball was declaring that
for the purity, the safety and success of the
game, there should be two major organiza-
tioRs and national agreement. A wonder
fnl transformation must have taken place in
the minds of those people to cause them to
move in an opposite directions and establish
q monopoly that is a tolerably close one.
The principle of monopolies is bad, and
when We build anything on bad principles
GerenG uuon il we need not expect good
results True it is possible to have au ideal
monopoly the pronrietors of which are
only actuated by feeling of generosity and
rhilantrorhv. But certainly do not e1-
pecs to ind such a monopoly in baseball
A Matter Of Self-Interest.
But the philosophers say there is a reason
for everything, and so there are good reasons
.or he baseball magnates acting as they
have done; indeed, they have been forced
n their present position mostly by the
greed and the absolute stupidity of the ball
p,avers themselves When men are in q
desaerate fix they will do desperate things
To free themselves. If Washington and his
colleagues had not ignored recognized law
snd trampled obedience under foot likely
enough America would yet have been a col
onv. And so it has been with the gentlemen
who during recent wears have had money
invested in the baseball business. A time
came when they failed to recognize the in
terests of each other, and the ball players
naturally took advantage of this state of
thiugs. The player, in fact, became master
of The situation. and few indeed would ever
talk about appearing on the diamond at
salary less than that of an able bank presi-
dent. Absolute ruin was therefore staring
the capitalists in the face, and they were
compelled to pool their issues and down
their common foe. The latter will be
downed, and doubtless we will soon
hear loud complaints about the mean
treatment Of the poor ball player" Nov,
what I claim is this, that whatever trouble
ovcrtakes the player as consequence of
this monopoly, the PLAYER himself is re-
Eponsible Tor it. The PLAYERS, to say the
least. have acted outrageousIy, and in the
face OF the wise demonstrations and advice
Of their friends. Time and time again they
have been warned of the reaction that
would certainly follow their $1,000, Sc, coo
and 81. 0G0 salaries, and now that they have
sovn the wind they must reap the whirl-
wind.
L is then reason of self interest and
relt preservation that has caused the mag
mates to act as they have done at Indian
spolis during the week. The compact
formed is an extraordinary one, and if it
car get along for the four years stipulated
for II certainly it will be one of the modern
wonders. The entire affair is an expert
uent, and with the exception of its bringing
{ temporary peace there is little to say in
It's favor.
Those Who Are Benefited.
TIE parties who have been benefited most
bv the new deal are the four clubs that have
left the Association and Joined the mo-
nopoiv. Without doubt the magnates of st.
Louis, Louisville, Washington and Balti-
more are the prize winners in the move, be-
caus7 il all the reports were true bankruptcy
was locking all of them in the face, and now
their prospects are better than they ever
were IN their history. Talk about the di-
nlOnlacv Of the League! Why, the Leaguers
have a. no time made such brilliant stroke
as Won der Abe & Co. have in this instance.
And the three clubs that have been
dropped are to be paid for dropping. Every
penny paid out by League magnates to those
discarded clubs is money thrown away fool
ishly aud without reason. would like to
know what Just claiws for compensation the
NcDonaldites, of Chicago, have? They are
nothing short Of the most preposterous on
record, and if they are allowed all that any
o. rs need do to make money is to organize
g baseball club on paper and sell out to
the League. Let US look at these claims
Fred Pfefie-, who is foolishly convinced
that he is destined to be a baseball magnate,
and few more gentlemen who know moth
ing about baseball, organized so-called
club. Nobody a4ked them to do so. They
Joined together regardless of what might
become of the League; indeed, their desires
were that the League be showed under"
Now things have taken such turn that the
little band of c0nspirators at Chicago are at
Tie mercy CT tie League and they want the
latter TO pay them money to get out of the
way. Did you ever hear of such thing?
They want to be paid and what for? WHY,
simply because they tried to down the
League and failed. That's all there is to it.
Jones makes al onslaught on Smith and
gets the worst of it, and Jones then asks
Smith for money to pay for repairs. A
condition of things like this certainly does
suggest to US Mr. Bellamy's ideal society.
Some Inusing Threats.
The baseball warriors who have been
Sowned threaten TO organize another
league, which shall have for its object the
utte- determination of the 12-club league.
Mr. Pfeffer himself declares it, and, by the
wav, Frederick has now been go often
thrown into the SOUP" that he ought to
retire from the arena. But the threats, if
srch they can be called, are merely idle
talk Ii anybody has nerve to pick up the
leavinrs of the new League and organize
clubs to do battle with the monopolists he
OUGHT 10 be sent on foot to find the North
Tole.
But a new League of something like
YniDpr D-onortiOEs can be orpanized and