Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-16
THE DIAMOND.
DISCUSSION
 OF UhPIRES
Forty Six Different Persons Have O&ciated in the Connecticut League-All Games Postponed Tester. day.

Brewer on the Springfield Union, in long article on the umpire sys. tenn in the Connecticut league, has the following to say:
 Forty-six different umpires, includ- ing players who have served temper arily. have worked on the Connecticut league staff this season. Charles Kennedy is the sole survivor of the best staff ever organized" which be- gan duty during the opening series in April.
 When Supervisor Thomas L. Reil- ly announced the names of Charlie Kennedy of Springfield, Martin Bar rett of Holyoke. Neil Harkins of Phil adelphia. and Maurice Quirk of New Britain, he felt that he had guarded against many complaints by getting the best possible staff. Even except ional leniency on the part of the press couldn't keep the umpiring mistakes from the public and indigna ton was shown.
 Umpire Quirk was a terrible mis- take as an umpire and he resigned after some work which showed him incapable. The competency of Bar rett depended upon his ability to get life into the game and run affairs. He soon selected some other vocation as more desirable. Harkins, who had the material for an excellent official, ruined his chances by being unable to control his temper and when he got angry he made decisions with the idea of showing how far he dared to go. This brought him trouble in such large instalments that he sought peace at home in the Quaker city and has since soured on umpiring as a profession.
 Frank Fessenden of New Haven. a Yale man who had experience as a player and official, commanding fig ure and plenty of nerve, soon wearied of his position as substitute on the staff and then the reorganization of the staff. task which has been a ire quent necessity. was begun. Super visor Reilly had poor inducements to extend good officials. The salary of S175 per month didn't draw first-class men because from that amount ex- penses must be deducted and by ire quent changes it is possible to eat up big portion of the salary in railroad fares, food and lodgings.
 The lack of stability to the league staff has been a source of criticism in which Supervisor Reilly has been censured. often without cause. The real solution of the umpire question is fin the managers themselves. So many managers are interested. finan- cially. in the clubs they serve. that the complaints against umpires are more bitter than they might otherwise be. Few managers give any consideration to the official and abuse comes from players in the open and often from managers in a more offensive but less noticeable form.
 An ironclad protection agreement among managers might help some. The salary question should be consid- cred too. Although the managers say that good enough umpires can be hired for S115 a month." no man who has attempted the supervision of the staff has ever found it possible to get good officials. An increase in the amount expended for officials would attract a better grade of men and make umpires more eager to fill as signments. Under the present con ditions the league supervisor has to beg for umpires. With more money offered there would be an object for a competent man to seek appointment to the staff and an incentive would he extended which might aid in having the umpire staff command respect. And more money carefully invested in the direction of better officials will be made up in returns at the gate.