The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-24
Ih)ED|ES On TIE DIAMOND
FAILURE OF MAGNATES TO SUP
PRESS THUGS HAS KILLED
THE GAME
NMPIREs WERE PowERLEss
BcraDpy Players, Instead of Being
Disciplined They Deserve, Are
Encouraged in ROwdyism by
Their Managers.

CHICAGO, Oct. 23.-The conclusion of
the professional baseball season as con-
Quoted by the National league this year,
says the Chicago Inter-Ocean, was
characterized by a general lack of inter-
est such as has not existed since the
sport first became an object of public
: patronage. The business of the league
clubs with one or two exceptions, was
uniformly poor, and the attendance at
the games was of such a small average
that the magnateS are now wondering
why the bottom has dropped out of base
ball, and are f1oundering about looking
for remedy. Two years ago last March
the National league men at their ST
Louis meeting agreed to suppress
rowdyism on the field, and in
order to convince the public that
they We're acting in good faith
the magnates affixed their sigma
lures To an ironelad agreement. They
pledged themselves to make their play
ers obey the rules, and solemnly agreed
toruphold decisions Of the umpires,
whether right or wrong, just or unjust
But the pledge, was broken, the agree
ment was violated and the written sig
natures of the magnates We're proven
worthless. From that tip to this the
maSnates have utterly failed to appre-
ciate what is meant by fair play and
craftsmanship They have received many
opportunities to show the patrons of
baseball that the old league had some
sense of self-respect and ignity left, but
they failed to take advantage of them.
The players, always unbridled. have been
permitted to assault unpires, bully them,
insult them, and call them vile names,
while these same magnates-have stood by
and practically encouraged such behaV-
Tor because they refused to take steps
to suppress it. Protests from the pub
lie and press have been purposely ig-
ncred. Even the emptiness of the grand
stands and bleaching boards has not in
fuenced the headstrong moguls for the
better, for they have persisted that the
lack of interest was not due to rowdy
baseball, but to the existing condition of
affairs a the Polo grounds.
HOW UMPTRES WE'RE .BULLDOZED.
Rowdyism was encouraged openly in
this way, for the players knew full well
that the magnates had the umpires by
the throat. 1t got to be a common prac-
tice for players, after a row on the field
with n umpire, to complain to their en-
ployeS, who promptly wired to Young
that the umpire should be removed.
Thomas Connolly, a promising umpire,
who was unanimously chosen by the
nagHates to the staff, was subjected to
such unfair treatment at the hands of
the New York players during the first
few weeks of the season that he was
ANtNtNt " lSSiSH 10 SSCdIjS general
physical collapse. Not a finger was
raised by a magnate to help Connolly
along, and when he resigned the men
who were instrumental in having I'm
appointed were loudest in their denuncia-
tons.
Take Hurst away from here at once:
He's robhing us!' was the wall of A
league club president in a dispatch to
Young.
IF YOU don't shift O'Day I'll close up
the gatesw threa tened another
Remove Emslie! He's throwing it into
US hardi" was the pitiful cry Of third,
while the players held carnival and SUBJ
1ected the umpires to all sorts of threats.
IF you don't give us the best of it."
yelled a team captain at an umpire one
day, my boss will see to it that you
never get the price Of a meal out of base
ball again.
Roush-and-tumble fights among the
players added to the magnitude of base
balls black eye Childs, of Chicago. and
Clarke, of Pittsburg, had it out in the
latter city Wolverton of Philadelphia,
was hit on the head with a ball inten-
tionaly thrown by Mccain, of St. Louis
Phillips, of Cincinnati, punched Thomas,
of Philadelphia, in the face; Lajoie and
Flick, of the PhiladelphiaS, had a bat
fight in which the former got a broken
finger These were the leading incidents
OF disorder during the season, but what
did the magnates do: 1t remained for
President Ebbetts again to assert him.
self. He brought charges against Robin