Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-14
been deal of talk and discussion about the

present President Young has the power OF
making the appointments, and he has GER
tainly beer the target of considerable GEN.
sure and condemnation during the last few
days.
1t seems to me that nothing could be
more unreasonable than all this kicking.
True, some of the appointments have not
baen very successful, but that is not the
fault of Mr. Young. Nor could appoint
meEts be more successful under any other
system that has been suggested. 1t must be
borne in mind that Mr.. Young has almost
entirely to depend OH the recommendations
of others when he is selecting a new um-
pire. He cannot travel around the country
inspecting the work of every young man
who is aspiring to be a base ball umpire.
But many men are recommended through
sympathy to a very great extent Some
people will stretch point or two In prals-
ing the abilities of the man they recon-
| mend to Mr.. Young, and the latter has to
be guided BY those outside opinions 1t is
| thus easv to see that in many cases
the people who kick most about bad
umpires are the very persons who help to
| get them there.
But how would Mr.. Young's detractors
have umpires appointed? Surely they
would never think of relegating that power
to the League directors Ii that were done
then we might have the directors in ses-
sion all season keeping tab on old umpires
| and selecting new ones. The most prac-
teal and the most effective way of select
! ing umpires is the present way. New UNI
plres must be tested and we'll tested. In the
testing process teams may suffer but this
draw back will have to be endured unless a
| plan can be pointed out by which new um-
pires can be had thoroughly developed to
| the first class degree.
A Prevailing False Notion.
As the discussion about the reduction of
ball players salaries continues it becomes
clearer and clearer that those who defend
the unfair and dishonest method recently
INDUCED in have not peg to stand on.
One verv precocious youth who favors the
''cut'' has become so utterly helpless in up
holding the trickery that he has thrown his
hands up in disgust, and declares in kind
of dying gasp that the matter is being
talked about more than it is worth.
Without doubt the question is one of the
most important that has been connected
with the League for very long time, and
the bad precedent laid down may some day
recoil with great force on the magnates
themselves
But there is false notion prevailing re-
garding this matter Many people think
that and others are entirely opposed to
any kind of reductions in the salaries of
players. A day or two ago Manager Harry
Wright stated that salaries were too high,
and one writer claimed that he (Wright)
was helping to keep them up by not en-
forcing the new plan OF brigandage.
Now Mr. Wright is acting quite con-
sistently and honestly. While he is con-
yinced that salaries are too high he is eager
to have every man under him who is doing
satisfactory work paid every dollar that
was contracted for. That is noble; that is
fair dealing and honorable and a great con-
trast to the sordid and sinister trickery and
deception as practiced on Mullane and
others. The truth is that the new mode of
reducing salaries has struck at the very
root of the integrity of the League.
Let the magnates make salaries to suit
their means. but let them do it honestly
and justly. When the proper time comes
the system of uniform salaries or any other
system can be adopted in an honorable way,
but most certainly there is nothing but
fraud in a plan by which a player can be
signed for So, 600 and after the season is
fairly started cut down to 81 500. and if he
insists on his contract price he is pushed
out of the business. Why it is an outrage
and one of the most discreditable swindles
ever perpetra:ed on men who work for
wages or salaries. A man should blush to
The Approaching Football Season.
Well not have to wait long before the
football season is upon US again. Clubs all
over the country are beginning to get their
teams ready, and, of course, everybody ex-
poets to do better than has ever been done
before. Generally speaking, it seems safe
to say that if the weather Keeps reasonably
good this will be the greatest football year
we have had. There are more players and
teams throughout the country now than
there has ever been, both Rugby and Asso-
citation. This means that we will have more
playing than ever, and 1 dare say the
PLAYING will be of better kind than in
former years.
Locally the prospects are exceedingly en-
couraging, indeed they were never so
bright. The patrons of the Rugby game
are already as busy as beavers getting their
men ready, and from what I can learn we
are likely to have some fine teams in Pitts
burg. Mr. Barbour, of the East End Gyms,
is confident of getting team together that
will give the best teams in the country all
the playing they want. 1 hope his expecta-
tions will be realized.
The Three AS are also determined to
have the best team here this fall that Pitts
burg has ever had and l am inclined to
think they will Some of the best players in
the country have applied for positions on
the Three AS team and altogether there are
nearly 40 good men to select from.
OF course we will have many other local
teams of lesser note. But what 1 want to
point out is the necessity of the clubs be-
ginning now and securing dates with some
of the best teams in the country. No team
need be afraid to come to Pittsburg as far
as making money is concerned. With
reasonably good day there would be an
immense crowd to see good local team
tackle prominent visiting team. There
will be a greater interest In the game this
fall than there was last fall, and that means
paving crowds when good teams are play
ing.
President Matthews, of the association
club, tells me that his club intends to have
the very best association teams in the coun-
try here. The local association team will
be professional organization and the play
ers hope to do well. They will likely be
good team, as players are to be carefully Sc
lected. Altogether we will have plenty of
football There is plenty of fun in seeing
either Rugby or an association game and
know OF no community Of people who like
fun better than Pittsburgers-
Great Speed or the Trotters.
The interview with Mr. Robert Bonner
published in this paper last Thursday, re-
gardng Sunol and the trotting record,
would be exceedingly interesting to the
thousands of people who patronize trotting
races and admire trotting horses. Year
after year for long time we have satisfied
ourselves at the end of each season that
surely the trotting and pacing records had
almost reached their limit. But each
succeeding year is introducing to us some
new wonder and the possibilities of the
trotter are just as open a question now as
they ever were