New-York tribune., 1905-04-09

Clerk. The honor came almost without the ask
ing. but it made me feel proud and got to
work. and so did my friends. and we scored
That's my political career In nutshell.
about my future In politics? Well. say. this
is crOwdns the play little. isn't II? Yes?
There's a lot IT. this nOddle." pointing to his
head but don't know now just what it all is
1t is given out quietly by some OF AnsOn's close
friends that the baseball veterans ambition Is
to be Sheriff OF Cook County. and that he will
get after the Democratic nomination when
TON" Barrett his old friend, steps out He
says: "As to my Intentions 30 far as the pOlit-
icaI game is concerned. can only say now that
I'm going to stay right at my new post as City
Clerk and learn the rules for running the busi-
ness Of the once. The old man win be the City
Clerk for the whole city that has 80 highly
honOred him."
Touching his career on the diamond. Pop
answered that the quarter Of century he had
been baseball player was period rep!ete with
INCIDENTS
There was something happening every day"
said Anson when the fans numbered thousands
in every city in the country. instead OF a scat
tered few in these days. Twenty-Five years ago.
whv. baseball had a bigger hold on the sport
loving men OF this country than horse racing.
The little towns turned out the men who be-
came the star players i'm the professional clubs
But that's ali past and as Pat Rooney used
to say, Tts not what you used to be. but what
you are to-day that counts.
Yes it was the little towns that turned out
the crack professional ball players. including
yours truly Let's see after dubbins around the
game In an amateurish way up In Iowa for
awhile. it was in 1871 that I Joined the Forest
City club at Rockford. H. and made my debut
as a player. After year with the Forest City
/ went to Philadelphia and Joined the old Ath-
letics Four years Of exciting professional life
followed for me Geel Those were the times for
excitement. Playing to thousands of delighted
frenzied lovers of the game. Oh. can't recall
any particular incident of more interest than
hundreds Of others. But you can bet we played
ball You see. was always a captain or man
ager. but never a what they call it. eh-mag
nate? That's it,
Yes, 1 was a magnate for a time" corrected
Pop" when I became a stockholder in the
Chicago club some years ago"
1t is a we'll known fact that once year
Pop" Anson calls at the Office Of John r.
Walsh, the banker and principal owner of the
white Sox" to demand dividends on his share
Of stock. He gets the same answer from the
banker, that there no dividends. and that
the club has only earned expenses In spite Of
this turning down. Pop" makes his annual call
for dividends without fail
We'll" resumed the veteran. taking up the
broken thread OF his talk ''I put in four years
of hard work and excitement member Of
the old Athletics Then 1 came to Chicago. and
for twenty-five years was captain. But I'm
getting a little ahead of my story. for In 1874
the Athletics and Bostons went to Europe to
give exhibition games Of baseball. We had a
good time and were well received in all the big
cities. In London. Liverpool and other English
cities the game Of baseball took we'll. and we
were royalty treated. for some of us boys could
play cricket and handball. and we had interest
ing contests with our British cousins. In Paris
we did not count much as an attraction, for the
Frenchmen did not understand American ath-
letics. Our teams gave exhibition games. but
did not draw very good crowds.
But the high water mark in baseball history
was upon the Chicago club. My team became