The Washington times., 1907-01-07
REASON WHY OUTLAWS
FIGHT ORGANIZED BALL
Tri-State League Was One of Greatest Advertising
Schemes Ever lnvented-Some Backes Recom-
ing Weary-Washington May Be Goat
By THOMAS S. C

When the national board OF the Ma
tiOnal Association of Minor Leagues
meets in the Fifth Avenue Hotel. in
New York. today and considers the
proposition 20 admit the Tri-State C'Out-
law League 10 organized baseball
history Will be made for the nauonal
game.
That some Of the leading men in the
Tri-state want protection Is very evil
dent. and that the organized baseball
people want them in IS equally certain,
but there Is much 70 be said on both
sides. Ii is well known that some OF
the heaviest supporters Of the game In
the Tri-State cities are violently op-
posed 10 assOciating themselves with
the other minor leagues, and they have
more or less sound arguments for their
contention.
Everybody Advertises Town.
me Pennsylvania cities in the Tri-
State are among the most active, hust-
ling communities in the country. Their
chambers OF commerce and boards of
trade spend thousands OF dollars a year
advertising and attracting the attention
OF investors. The spirit OF boosting per
vades the population, and every business
man seizes every opportunity 70 plug
the game by catch phrases or other de-
vices on his letteFheads. and in his per-
sOnal advertising matter. Fairs, fetes,
cOHvenJiops-auything 10 get the city be-
fore the public-arc tho methods pur-
sued. aud they have been fairly success
nli, but the greatest advertising scheme
these cities have ever evolved. or ever
viii have. was the formation OF the out
law baseball league and the bold raid
ing OF majors and minors for star play
ers.
When this step was taken they were al
most In a aday lifted out of the compare
tive obscurity due 20 their rather small
size and became objects OF discussion and
comment to at least a million people
who had never before given them seri-
GUS thought Not only thls. but the
particular light IN which they were
placed was that of communities which
We're so prosperous that they literally
had nom 10 burn, and could afford 20
size IN population. Everywhere the inn
preston was created that they a un-
limited ready coin 20 be sought after by
e~nterpr1sIng genius on the outside, 70
when a business man was approached
with a proposition 70 80 into a scheme
IN one OF them. he was apt 10 be more
than willing 10 believe that there was
an abundance OF gold there il he only
knew how 10 mine IL.
Stroke Of Genius.
There is hardly any stroke Of press
agent genius which could have more
successfully touted the property of the
circuit than independent baseball, The
expense was heavy, but the results
were cheap at the price
Now the Tri-state is dickering for adj
mission 10 the National Association and
the other side OF the question is pre-
scented. II IL had been possible 10 tax
the entire population of the cities pro
rata according 70 the wealth OF the in
dividuals and corporations for the sup
port of baseball. there would never have
been any trouble. but the fact was that
IN every city the great bulk OF tbs
deficit OF zach year vas supplied By a
small coterie OF enthusiasts, n the
deficit seemed destined 70 grow greater
each season.
Giving Up Becomes TiresOme.
This thing of giving up a bunch of
money each year for a baseball team
which benefits you only indirectly, along
with two or three hundred thousand OF
your fellow-citizens who do not sub
scribe more d an occasional admis-
sion fee. becomes tiresome, and many
OF the hackers of outlaw teams are will
ing to return 70 the organized fold and