The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-28
z. A. BTRRELL.


wipe it out before the abuse got the better
of them. The warning was not taken, and
the National league is now confronted by a
condition which must necessarily give
it extreme concern.
The magnates have seen this growing
danger, but had not the courage to take it
by the throat and choke it into nonexist-
ence. Last year they had 500 maximum
penalty, but umpires were loath to use it on
account of its after effect. They knew that
clubs and not the offending players were
paying the big fines, and that, therefore,
they were storing up against themselves
the enmity Of the clubs and not of the
players. This year the heavy fines were
repealed, and a removal from the game
was substituted. In only half dozen in
stances has that penalty been imposed,
though it has been merited a hundred
times. The rule is avoided by the umpires
for the same reason which made the 800
fine a useless weapon.
At the last annual meeting Mr. Robi-
son of Cleveland proposed a rule to pro-
hibit coaching and to make it unlawful for
any player to question an umpire's deci-
sion except where it involved the interpre-
tation of playing rule. This proposition
did not get vote. And now, before the
half of the playing season is over, Mr..
Robson is defending his captain and man.
ager from the punishment of the League
IOf the gFaV0S6 OF all OHCnSe unO6E Q1Scl-
plinary rules of the ballfeld
I believe this theory advanced by Mr.
Robson last winter is bound to become a
law and practice in baseball Something
must be done to crush senseless kicking
against umpire decisions or the interest of
the game will suffer severely. 1 saw the
Princeton and Yale teams play one of the
deciding games in the college championship
last month, and the umpiring was very
faulty. Both teams knew it, and yet there
was not as much objection made in the
whole game as there is usually in a half
inning of National league game. When
men were called out, they retired quickly
and without even a word of protest, even
in few instances where the decisions were
so close that the victims must surely have
believed themselves to be wronged
You can never get professional ball on
that plane of field decency until the mouth
of every player is locked up tightly. There
seems to be a raging belief in all profess
sional teams that unless they kick as much
or little more than their opponents they
get the worst of the decision. 1t, there
fore, becomes q cross fire of bulldozing
with the poor umpire at the junction of
the angles.
Keefe resigns, Hurst whips two Pitts
burg players after the game, and Tebeau
gets out an injunction to restrain the
League from collecting a fine of 5000 for
CISOEQ6FAy COnQuC6 on bnS Dd1A11C4Nl1 al IL
one week. That shows exactly the demon
alizing extent of this umpire batting.
The public does not know half of the
abuse which players heap upon umpires for
the mere purpose of offsetting or destroy
ing the effect of the bulldozing by the 9th
er side If the baseball lawmakers do not
hurry up and squelch this spirit of disorder
on. the ballfeld, the national game will
soon simmer down to a "scrapping
match
The old cry of baseball slavery has
been raised again through the Rusie con-
trOversy, and one hears the assertion that
the noted pitcher is deprived of making
his livelihood at his chosen profession. OF
course the assertion is not true, for at no
time this year has Mr. Rusie been denied
the privilege Of signing a contract with the
New York club at $500 month A man
in these days who has a S4O0 a month job
ready to his touch is hardly slave.
Without rigid laws of their own to con-
troll their peculiar business, baseball CAPT
talists would not dare invest dollar per
manently in the sport. Ball players are,
as a class, legally irresponsible, and a club
could have no recourse at law for broken
contracts, as was shown when Mccormick,
Glasscock and BriOdy deserted the Cleve-
land club in midseason Of 1884 and bank
rupted the game in that city. The ma
tionai agreement and reserve rule made
11io game u DuSl0eSSs SEEGt@G bAAc SSA14DoAys
multiplied clubs, opened the profession to
triple the number of players and increased
salaries 100 per cent. In 1850 the Cincin-
natl club, a member of the National
ieague, paid $14, 600 for its ball team Two
years later the American association club
engaged an entire team against League
competition at a total salary expense of
80, 600. Today nearly every League club
pays three times that amount in salaries.
Had you suggested before the adoption