St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-22
TALKS OF BLACKMAIL, ETC.
Mates OF THE TwELVE-CLUB
AGGREGATION.
OTHER MATTERS IN BASE BALL.
Gossip OF the Youur Men wbo VIII
Weld the Willow In
1896.

puoilshed portion of the article in
the commercial Gazette relating to the
pase Dali situation, presumably voic-
ing the sentiments of the sporting ed
itof, Ban b. Johnson, the president of
the western league. Some Of the other
portions are almost as interesting.
After relating the history of the Broth
erhood and it's downfall, the article
continues:
In order to keep a firm grip on the
throats or all professional ball players,
the National league set about to gain
cohtroi or the game, not only in the
Twelve large cities of the country, but
throughout the entire United States. To
TINS END they offered the minor leagues
mess OF pottage in the guise OF pro
lection" This plan of protection finds
It's prototype in the feudal system of
the middle ages; the National league
magnates are the barons, and promot-
ers OF the game in smaller cities are
the tenants who pay tithes.
Ii the system of protection in vogue
In base ball were applied to any other
business on earth, it would be called
blackmail. 1t Is blackmail, in fact;
nothing more, nor nothing less. Minor
leagues pay money into the National
league treasury each year What for?
IL IS blood money, for the receipts of
which the National body promises not
to despoil the smaller organization of
its players during certain months of
the year. But during certain other
months the National league folks can
grab whomsoever suits their fancy, and
they set their own price.
During the past two years base ball
has made prodigious strides. Time was
when minor leagues usually lasted I'M
I'll about July 4. This year there are
several organizations in the field which
nave yeteranized. But 1t is uphill
work to build up a minor league when
every fall the larger organization strips
the various clubs of their best talent
Naturally, men who have thousands
OF dollars invested in a base ball plant
nave complained of these high-handed
methods introduced and maintained
by John T. Brush. But when they pro-
test they are called anarchists. They
are called ingrates. They are called
fools and poltroons. And the National
league people turn to the public and
say: Behold how childish these
grumblers are They should be sat
lshed. Why, just think what we could
do to them IL we wished! We could rob
them or every valuable player they
nave, and pay nothing for them. AS
tast as they developed new stars we
could tempt them with larger salaries.
We could, with little judicious ex-
penditure of money, ruin every minor
league club ii the country, as soon
as 1t became a source of profit to its
owners. And, yet these fellows kick,"
1t is very easy to generalize. but
somewhat more difficult to sustain A
proposition with facts. The national
leagues president contents himself
with glittering generalities. He starts
out by saying: II have spent twenty
i've years in base ball, in one continu-
Gus effort to improve or assist in i'm
proving the law. conduct and system
governing base ball"
What Mr.. Young meant to saw was
that he has spent quarter Of a cen
. fury In continuous effort to improve
the National league. Viewed from that
point, no one will dispute that Mr.,
Young has been successful But. while
he has built up the National league in
twenty-five years, the present course of
the majority In that body will undo
his efforts in one-tenth that time if
persisted in.
Then Mr.. Young told a Washington
Post reporter that the minor leagues
received more money from the big
league for players drafted than they
paved in for protection. why should
they kick he asks, when they re-
ceive more back than they paid in?"
But Mr. Young overlooks q point
The National league has the players
The big organization, the lawmaker.
receives full value for it's money; the
minor league pays its coin as tribute.
There was never a more misunder-
stood document than the National
agreement. Many persons fancy that
this agreement is to base ball what
Turf Congress rules are to Western
race tracks. In time to come this con-
dition will very likely be obtained. I'm
til such time, there will be no fairness,
no justice, no equity in base ball.
The new National agreement is a
queer document, and the manner in
which it was forced upon the league
Is a bit of unwritten history. The
new agreement is the product of one
man. 1t was spawned in insincerity
and hate, and nursed in a school Of
greed, trickery and injustice.
The National board is the supreme
court of base ball, from whose decision
there is no appeal. And the board, of
which Brush and Ryrne are the ma
jority, make a decision without the
slightest regard for equity. The latest
decision by this body will illustrate
the methods employed
The experience of Dennis A. Long
is related at length, and, after depict
ing Presidentg.Ken, OF Pittsburg. auc-
tioning off the. Toledo-Terre Haute
players, the writer asks:
Can any salaried defender of John II.
Brush claim that by such high-handed
and outrageous methods the gentle
mans sport, the game Of base ball, is
being elevated? Critics cry out against
the frauds and sharp practices of the
turf-particularly the crookedness of
the outlawed tracks-but on no race
track in America would such infamous
conduct be tolerated.
The president of the Western ague
was shown Mr.. Young's interview, and
questioned regarding some of the state
ments.
II have never talked Of war or or
ganized opposition, or anything of tina t
sort" said President Johnson, "but
even with his twenty-five years Of ex-
perience, Mr.. Young does not correctly
state the case Of the Western league.
The new National agreement Is prob
af'v perfectly satisfactory to other
minor leagues. and I only find fault in
one particular-the price of drafting
players from our league.
Every player drafted from our clubs
Is taken at cost to us. We have yet
to gain by any single transaction of
this kind. The figures OF arithmetic
cannot be disproYed by the figures of
speech, and I have figures at hand to
prove my assertion.
"Mr. Coniskey, who owns the st.
Do III lIIh lf1gt IN n,.1n IL