New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-18
THE B4SEB1LL PE1CE.

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THE BASEBALL PEACE.
Sweet peace broodS over the frozen diamond
and the steam heated council chamber y vast
number of persons scattered over the entire
surface of the country will take time from con
temptation Of the Indian surrender. the Elec-
tons bilk legislative contests. al-night sessions
at Washington. the prospects of winter wheat
operate revolutions, the doorous fate of Gen
eial Jones and Smith VI. Weed, the woes and
triumphs of the social struggle and all the joys
and ills that flesh is heir TO, for the purpose
of cOngraTniating one another and felictatlng
themselves upon the suspicious fact that grim
yiSaged war upon the baseball field mas
smoothcd his wrinklcd front. The American
public has been forced against IT'S will to be-
come extremely weary of the National sport
during the last year The sport itself is not at
fault Baseball is As good game as 1t ever
was, but it has been OvershadOwed by the con-
tentiOnS waged in its name, and Its excellence
has disappeared in the smoke and dust OF con
hict But at last wisdom has prevailed and
we have no doubt that it will be justified of its
children.
TIE TRIBUNE is entitled to feel peculiar
satisfaction in the result of this long quarrel
We detected at the outset the Speciou> char
acter of the arguments advanced by the Brother
hood in support Of It's pretensi0nS, and predict
ed the ignominiouS and disastrous outcome of
its warfare. We forc>aw the empty seats ana
the depleted treasures. the lowered Standards
the popular indifference deepening into disgust
and the ultimate reorganization upon "A reason
able and practicable basis We do not say that
a., d., I,Io h I'D no prounI for
plant. but the fact remains that avalicc was
the real foundation of their outbreak They
took themselves too seriously They all wanted
TO be tcn-thouSand- dollar beauties and they
imagined that the estimate they put upon them
selves was the estimate that the public put upon
them. They did not give due consideration
to the fact which everybody else perceived that
they were extraordinarily well paid for their
services. and that not one in ten Of them could
ever hope to earn in any other pursuit 50 many
Injuries of life and much hard cash. Then
calculations were all erroneous. 1hcy saw
enormous crowds pour through the gates IN
few cities on pleasant saturdays, and ior%ot
the other days of small attendance on unpop-
ular grounds, the cost of luxurious travel. the
permanent investments, the swollen list OF
substitutes and supernumeraricS. They forgot,
above all that local pride and genuine cham
pionships count for good deal in the record
Of the turnstileS and that it is play not talk
that kndles and suStainS enthusiasm.
They declared war, and they have lost be
cause they deserved to lose. Fortunately, they
recognize the truth. and for the most part are
heartily glad that the future of baseball has
been taken out of their hands There is ample
.h,,. mot q, l.a
the permanent victims Of their own bad iudg
ment. No disposition exists to make repnSaN
and start black list. The best of them Will
be playing next season with renewed energy
and skill though we suspect at generally lower
salaries than those at which they rcbcllcd n
year ago. The war has been costly, and the
treasures must be filled from pretty near the
bottom before they can overflow in any drcc-
ton But there is a new and wider basis Of
security than ever existed before. The League.
the American Association and the Western A>-
ISOLATION in combining their own interests have
made the strongest possible combination Tor
maintaining the interest OF the public. which
is the only guarantee of permanent prosperity
for the game and those who play it.
Some of our readers, We darcSay. will think
that If the members Of the Brotherhood took
themselves too seriously last wear. TIE TRlB
UNE now takes the whole subject too seriously.
If 50, we cannot agree with them. We do not
think that the National game is the foremost
Of National concerns. But We do believe that
the popular zeal for outdoor sports which mus
inevitably find expression in some way, should
be encouraged 10 content itself with an outlet
so innocent and 81 hcalthiu! a. the game 0f
baSeball-a game which keeps tens Of thousands
of persons in the open air for hours at a
Jme, repeatedly during the summer: which. IN
the nature Of things, cannot be. like the turf,
vast gambling institution. nor, like professional
Craftsmanship. an impudent swindle which pro-
vides no opportunities for drunkenness and no
temptations to speculate for a fortune with other
peoples money, and which, in general. is con
spicuously free from demoIalizing influences and