Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-12
THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE


~ II Viii NAaAAEA ~ ~ INNME uN
4 \ the worst sort OF aslninity on
the part Of Sioux City. Some
journalistic ~paranolac OF that town has
been led off into the deiusion that omaha
Des Moines and Topeka are In a conspir-
acy to cheat Sioux city out Of the PEN
Whether Holmes and the other
Sioux City players are afflicted BY this
illusion Is not known: surely they could
not be. and neither would this so-ealIed
sport writer IL he had half the Intelligence
he should have. Common sense would
teach him that such a thing is preposter-
Gus. In the first place Sioux City hasn't
won any ennants and therefore can't be
cheated out Of one till It does win It. On
the face Of conditions Des Molnes and
Sioux City have excellent chances Of win
ming the flag and II there is any difference
1t is In favor Of Des Moines, for, mani
testify II has the better team Of the two.
Omaha, on the other hand. stiIl has a
chance, though It is not as good a chance
as either Of the other teams has. 1t would
be senseless In Rourke, after spending the
money he has spent this year to build up
a championship team, to enter into a COM
bine with Des Nome to give that team
the peunant when Omaha is still I'm the
race. But lnls Is ABOUT as MUCH lnlell-
gence as this Sioux City %paranoiac ever
displays about anything. When you talk
OF combines II requires some audacity to
suggest that one is being planned against
Sioux City. Glenalvln, Ducky's old pal of
former years, has been umpiring in Sioux
City and Sioux City has been winning two
a day and the teams from which they have
been winning these two a day nave COM
- a A. - -
year when another umpire trafficked in
. games in favor Of the same sioux City. Act
ing Manager Boles Of Topeka says that the
treatment his team received on It's last
visit to Sioux City was Simply an outrage
and would never be tolerated by a decent
local management. This other umpire, who
was run out Of the Pacific Coast league
for betting on games he was umpiring. is
out Of the Western league for the same
reason. And It is worth while noting that
the only city on the circuit in which he
was able to engage in this sort Of business
was Sioux City, this same heavenly place
that now shrieks OF being robbed OF the
p%ennant. Fans were good enough last year
not to say that Holmes conspired with this
umpire, and yet Sioux City was the only
town where he was able to practice this
OuSlnthhs II III DtCOihNS oiuhA lily VI
all cities in the league, to talk Of getting
pennants by other means than winning
them, since the history Of how It received
the pennant OF 1905 is still so fresh In
mind. But harmony exists between the
Omaha management and team this yeal
and, so far as Omaha is concerned, Il
Sioux City gets the flag this year It viii
be by superior work,
The failure of Des Molnes to support III
team is a keen disappointment to every far
on the Western league circuit. Des Moine'
christened its team the Boosters" claim.
ing thai such a title properly distinguished
that city. II ever there was a living def
milton OF the word missioner il is to b.
found I'm the Des Moines team. Boosters
indeedp The team bOosts all right, but-hoN
about the town. Forty-sixl hat was th'
total attendance at a game recently on this
Des Molnes diamond. And what is the sit
uation? Here is John f. Higgins, owner
OF the team, with a club that is right OF
top, fighting II out for the pennant, anC
yet for his efforts he is rewarded by al
attendance of forty-six. II Mar. HigBln
were running a tail-end team there Nigh
be some Justification for the lack Of pa
tronage and yet real base ball fan
do not withhold their patronage OF
such a score. knowing that som
town has 20 finish last. Mr.. Higgins cam
from Chicago an unknown quantity in bas
ball, and he knew nc more OF the gam
than It knew Of him. He finished last hi
first season and then went to work with tn
determination not to finish last again. H
spent q lot Of money and has succeeded
but what of III II II a sad commentary o
a city OF Des Moines' size to be found
such a pew. Higgins says he will transfe
his team to st. Joseph next rear and eve
as bad as st. Joe has done he probabl
won't lose by Il. So far as the record show
St. Joe never fell below eighty-ninS in II
daily attendance.
Asn may say what they please Of tn
conditions that AVE brought about th
failure OF base ball in Dos Moines, but tn
actual cause lies deeper than the surfac
! of 1868 or 1899. II Is TO be found In the cor
ditions that prevailed during the Cantillo
management OF the team. The Bee tried
point out then the ultimate evil Of such a
unbrldled reign as was countenanced dun
ing the Administration OF the brothers, 10
and Nike but Des Molnes hooted the ide'
The Bee said then M there was just on
end to such a policy and that was ruin I
the city that permitted IT, How nearly al
Il come 10 the truth? Is a total attendant
OF forty-six any answer7 And just 9
surely as Des Moines sowed the wind an
reaped the whirlwind. just 80 surely wi
Sioux City garner the same harvest an
that very soon II is cultiyatinE precisel
the same crop. Let Holmes once fail
maintain a winning team and see whel
he lands. II youf want to kill base ba
pursue his course and you'll succeed befol
you knOw Il.
The squirt Linooln has made OF late
encouraging and Omaha cOngrstulates n
new management n hopes Il will me-
with stin greater success. II has eertalnI
been drtEent In going after new matters
and there are reasons TO believe that
some OF this new material, At least,
worth whilA
Des Molnea fall-down In supporting |
team serves TO remind us once more
INST grand old query. Where would tn
Western league have been years ago al
now had IT not been for Omaha and De-
vsrr'
DIT. Cook. Pa Rourke and Father Higgil
might as well understand first as last IN.
nobody has a right 20 these poles b
naaHV and nurhv ana outk