Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-30

| rltory, so that at any time they can put {
club into any place. whore they desire it
They also want the Board of Control sbol
ished and a new national agreement
Oh, yesi they offer something in return
for this. They state that the League can at
any time have the right to put team in st.
Louis or Baltimore. St. Louis would, in.
decd, be o great League city without Sum-
day games. But submit in all candor.
Is all this not a direct insult to the baseball
world? Were there ever such outrageously
unfair and absurd demands made in the his
tory of baseball? If any supporter of these
preposterous requests viii show me any
fairness or logic in them then I'll say no
more about them. The truth is that as far
as the logic of the matter is concerned were
these demands granted there would be
| more war than ever. There would either
be more war or else the League would have
| to vacate its principal cities and leave them
entirely in possession of the Association.
This is the plain English of it, and it is be-
cause Of this that l hold the Association
magnates either want to ruin the national
/ game entirely or that they are the most
| veritable fools on earth. Their action sug-
gests to me model way of making peace
with ones neighbors- It is just like one
farmer, who is at variance with another,
going up and saying: "Now, neighbor,
| let's have peace. Give me the right Of your
entire farm and we'll shake hands and let
| bygones be bygones." Not one of US would
| for moment think that any sane farmer
would make peace on any such basis, and
yet that is Just the kind of basis the Asso-
citation wants.
THE LEAGUE has NOTHING TO FEAR
am so strongly convinced in my own
mind that the League has nothing to fear in
comparison with the Association that 1
think it would be wise for the League to al
low the Association magnates to run their
course just as they choose. Cincinnati has
just given the Association lesson that will
not readily be forgotten, and l will be sadly
mistaken if other Association cities are not
about wearied of their company. True,
the Association at present can, if it de-
sires, put teams in every League city, but
if that were done under present circum-
stances it would be an open fight But if
the right of going into League cities were
conceded the Association the League would
not then be at liberty to make the fight for
patronage as bitter and as disastrous as it
might otherwise be. This would favor the
Association and the magnates know it. The
National League has but one direct course
to pursue and that is the course of dignity
and justice. 1t cannot possibly maintain
Its dignity bs bending to men of the stamp
and character of Won der Abe, and it cannot
maintain its policy of Justice by unreason-
ably forfeiting the rights of any of its MEM
bers. 1t can certainly Join hands with the
American Association if the latter modestly
request it and will be content to play q
rational and honorable part. If this is not
done then it becomes the duty of the League
to ignore the Association entirely and let
it run the length of its tether, which it GER
tainly will do if let alone.
THE SALARY QUESTION.
But in discussing this matter there Is a |
feature that is worthy of a few words, viz: |
the salary question. This is such an i'm |
portant factor in the business that I am in |
clined to think if it had not been because of |
it there would have been no conference at
all 1t has been claimed that the confer |
ence was convened at the instigation of the |
League. That of course is no discredit to |
the League. We are also informed that
the League representatives desired or sug-
gested the deslrability of the conference |
formulating a plan by which player's
salaries could be kept down. am ready to
believe that the salary question forced the
holding of the conference, because there are
some very big salaries being paid in the
League this season. In the estimation of
more than one good authority in the League
the salary factor is working more ruin than
anything or anybody else. But it has been
seen that even with a national agreement
fancy salaries obtained and thev will
obtain as long as there is competition for
good players. While it may be true that
Kelly has signed to play for Boston
at very large figure the magnates of the
club are entirely to blame in financial
losses follow the deal Nobody compe led
them to pay an unusual amount of money
for Kelly's services The Boston magnates
nsf how h.,
making wise and profitable deal no mat
ter what they paid. And it is this spirit of
speculation that will always prompt big
salaries for good and profitable players. Of
course / am not one who believes that
Kelly is to receive sos, 200 for Is months.
A statement to the effect that he is may do
well as an advertising means, but it does
not go with me as a fact Kelly may be
good player, but he viii not get any such
salary, and. in truth, the League would
have been better without him. It is by
such men as Kelly that has
brought lots Of trouble on ths League
THE LOCAL BALL TEAM.
Finally our baseball team have proven to
is that they can play ball in way that
EQUALS championship form. am sure the
Teriest enemy of theNteam cannot deny their
excellent work during the week, and, in all |
airness, none of US can withhold due credit
rom Manager McGunnigle. am begin
hing to think that he is getting team to- |
yether whom will be very bad to beat. He
S making changes that ought to have been
made long ago, and the changes only show
hat the system of getting together lot of
stars is not good one, though it is very
one. OF course, it is too late in
he season for the team to reach a position
n the race that would create wild enthu-
iaSm, but 1t is not too late to hestoyr a oood
on the team because of their yery 8
EXCELLENT efforts to make the best of a very .
,ad job. firmly believe that if we had ,
'een In possession of our pres
MT team month or two ago
hey would have been far up in the race.
King and Baldwin are dong extraordinary ]
york, but it must not be forgotten that they I
re accorded better support now than has !
'een given them at any previous time DUR
ng the season. I mean steady support ,
18th q team such as we have now and with
ltchers pitching in the form that has char ,
the work of King and Baldwin re-
emily, five of every six games should be :
Ton against average teams Well, it is
etter to have q winning team late than |
ever at all, and most assuredly nobody is I
rouder of victory than the gentlemen who :
ut up the money for the team. I mean !
hey are proud of victory entirely aside :
rom the financial feature They have :
Iorked hard, indeed, for a winning team .
nd now that their team is in winning form i
hey are certainly happy set of fellows. :
hey deserve patronage and trust they'll i
ontinue to get it.
THE CHECKER CHAMPIONS
While 1 have for nearly quarter of /
entury been more or less interested in the i
anne OF draughts, have never had occa- q