The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-11
TINE TO SPILL"
INSIDE DOPE
Interm0untain League Failed
Because 1t Was Doomed
Before 1t Began.
BY w. D. RIsHEL.


The Intermountsin league is no more.
II died a natural death, for the simple
reason that league formed as this was
could not exist Every baseball man iR
IN the state. whose opinion is worth con-
slderings predicted the outcome OF the
league before the first ball was pitched
IN the opening game. It's death has put
baseball in Salt Lake back again to where
II was when the last attempt was made
70 promote a league which failed after
the promoters had lost thousands of dol
lars trying TO give the fans baseball.
Baseball IN any community viii never be
on a sound footing until IT Is 73lf-sup-
porting. A league composed Of the in
termountaiu towns never was self-sup-
porting and never viii be until the pOpu-
lati0n increases many times or the inter-
state commerce commission viii allow
the railroads TO give rates that will not
eat UP the profits of the game.
The End of the League.
While the digbandiug of the league was
bound TO come, nothing but angels with
a barrel Of money could prevent IT, yet
its end was brought about by John 5,
Barnes OF Butte. Butte sporting writers
may say what they please, they may send
out reports about Boise and Salt Lake
being poor baseball towns, but the fact
remains salt Lake OutdreW any city in
the league and Butte drew the poorest
crowds. BVtte's team was a joke and
Barnes made it a joke. But in justice to
Barnes. let 1t be said Butte would not
have patrOnized him with a pennant win
ner. The Montana mining camp was sore
on the whole crowd, and they had reason
TO be on account of past treatment. The
fans did not want the league in the first
place and fought against it. yet it was
forced upon them by Barnes, and then
when the fans refused 20 put up the coin
by attending the game, Barnes quit, and
quit cold.
Chance to ProIong Life.
If Barnes had not quit the Boise fran
chise would have probably been trans
ferred to Ogden, and the game would
have continued for q while longer.
Would he guarantee to carry his team
In Butte if local capital went TO the sup
port Of Ogden he plainly showed by his
actions that he had enough. and that as
soon as he reached Butte. a wire would
be forthcoming saying the league was
up. Not that Barnes can be blamed for
not throwing away his money, as he
would have done. but it is Just as well to
know few of the inside facts and that
u was Butte that fell down, and not
Boise, not Helena and not Salt Lake. In
Justice to the Butte fans let IL be said
they went on record against the league,
tried hard to keep it out. and then made
good their declaration of not supporting
II. Butte did not want baseball the pro-
motors tried 10 force it on them, failed,
lost money and quit This tells the whole
story
Boise Bled by Struthers.
The same condition exactly existed in
Boise. But i'm Bosses case the fans came
20 the support of the team after it once
gained a fOOthold, and remained remark
ably loyal in the face of the bunch Con
Struthers forced upon them and called
a baseball team. Then Boise quit going
10 the game, and Boise could not be
blamed. A committee might be appointed
TO SEE what became of the money Boise
did subscribe toward the league, and some
interesting facts might be developed.
Boise is without question one of the best
baseball towns in America for it's popua-
ton, and the fans of that city are TO be
congratulated for refusing to patronize the
bunch of misfits Struthers thrust upon
them as a baseball team.
Helena was the only town in The league
that was organized right There a com
mittee OF citizens were led to believe the
league would be a success and got be-
hind the team right Had the league con-
tinued Helena would have lost a nice
bunch of money, but il would have the
satisfaction Of knowing it was not going
down into some baseball highwayman's
pocket
Salt Lake Too Wise.
The Salt Lake public was too wise to
go against the game with their pocket
books, but did support the team as long
as they were given good baseball
1t was quickly seen after the team
started that Farnsworth was a good fell
low. but that he was in with a bad bunch.
This he did not realize until too late He
spent his money and gave Salt Lake a
team that was perhaps the most popular
aggregation that was ever assembled in
the city. The town was back of him, and
would have remained back Of him to the
finish had the league remained intact.
Fifty-cent ball was forced on him by the
other towns in the league and this was
a big mistake which Farnsworth realized,
and which would have been remedied I'm
the next series played at Salt Lake had
the game continued.
Fsrnsworth's One Mistake.
Farnsworth made but one mistake in
coming 20 Salt Lake, and frequently said
so afterward. He listened to a bunch Of
advice that would wreck any league in
the world. There are always a few would
be W1seheimeTs in every town. and salt
Lake has hers. These gained Farms
worth's ear when he came here a stran-
ger. and it cost FarnsWorth many dollars
for his lesson. At one time after Farms
worth came TO Salt Lake he was willing
20 take the Salt Lake team in a state
league But these wiseheimers talked
him out of it. If he had done this ne
would have saved many dollar and Salt
Lake would have had baseball still
"spiI" That Inside Dope.
When the Intermountain league was
formed, those who know baseball condi-
lions and have had experience in baseball
in this state, said it would not 60 1t was
at this time that the wiseheimers went
about saying there was lot OF inside in
formation about the league which they
knew about, but which the public did not.
that was bound 10 make il q success.
Those who did know, those who We're not
on the inside, would like TO have these
wiseheimers spill this inside dope" Now