Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-02

~ HE wise ones insist there Is more
than passing gossip IN the rumor
OF a players strike in the National
league as a reply to the magnates'
action in raising the game schedule
rom 154 to 1858, withowt any organized adj
vance in salaries TO correspond. Such a
hing certainly would not be unnatural. A
nan. OF course, gets paid. ordinarily, &C
,ording to the work he does; some by the
quality and most by the quantity. But at
al events the cumulative factor enters
INTO consideration. A magnate, In discuss
Ing this lrumor. takes refuge behind the
argument that a great many Of the payers
are not In a position TO strike, for he
asserts, they are signed up for next year
and I'm many cases for a year or two be-
yond. He overlooks the point, however,
that they signed before the proposition Of
1853 games was brought up. And II Is open
10 argument whether, II they refused to
play under these contracts in 1910, they
would be violating any agreement. There
IL ample room for questioning II the ma
jority Of players would have signed the
same contracts had they known or been
advised that a schedule OF 1853 games was
to be adopted. The heightened schedule
means many more double-headers and, as
IL was last year. the NaiAUub AAhba vi
gagged in some twenty of these perform
ances, which, to say the least, are de
cidediy unpopular with players. The
magnates have adopted the heightened
schedule, why? For the simple purpose
OF increasing their Incomes. Why not,
then, be willing to share their enlarged
profits with their men? A players strike
would certainly be revolutionary at this
time, when the status Of base bal is none
too settled at best, when the American as
, Bociation in only awaiting the opportunity
of the expiration of its contract to invade
major league territory and other elements
are disturbed. II the players should take
II into their heads that their only recourse
lay In a strike we might have some lively
dolngs. But the conservative opinion will
be against the idea Of the strike. The in
terests at stake are too great. The mag
mates. should they find themselves con-
fronted by such an alternative, would dis
cover some middle ground between them
and the extreme Of a base ball war.
The owners OF the Chicago Cubs have
lust bought the Philadelphia Nationals
park. What for? Messrs. Murphy and
Fogel viii make themselves ridiculous II
they persist in denying the fact that the
ownership or the TWO teams lS luenlloal.
The base ball public will not be as read
lily ~reconciled to this entering wedge or
syndicate base ball as 1t has been ready
to believe the fact Of its existence. No
srecious pleading will be sufficient to con-
vince people who support the game that
the game can be preserved In its original
form as a clean sport under the system
which Messrs. Murphy ct al. have thus
instituted. 1t is one of the worst misfor-
tunes that could befall base ball, this very
philadelphia deal. Already one of the ef-
fects-and by no means of the most vicious
charaotCr-is suggesting itself in the pro-
posed exchange Of Outfielder Magee for
some of the Cubs outcasts Making one
team strong at the expense of another
will, If carried far enough, prove dis
astrous. 1t cannot fan to work mischief
in any form. The fun 'amental principle
of any game and particularly base ball
lies in the spirit of honest rivalry and even
justice. Base ball will go the route of the
"old and honorable game of wrestling" the
moment II let's down it's bars to hip
podroming.