Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-14
Judgments

r Under the warning caption. Has
Base Ball Come to This" the
Sporting News publishes the
~ following editorial. which is so
wholly in accord with our own
sentiments as expressed I'm these col.
umns' that, together with the autho,1,a-
i've tone the official base ball organ"
utterance gives, impels Us to renrint f..
The New York National league club
was not courageous enough 10 tell the
ruin about the worlds series ticket suec
uiauoh scandal and the National commits
SION IN It's final report on its inyestlga-
non was not courageous enough 10 tell
tie truth Tor II. Afraid to tell the truth
inc commission report, therefore. Is nee.
essarily q lame effort to whitewash. FOR
y does not deny there was something rot
zen IN the handling Of the tickets, though
II ooes, with mare Of Ifs and butts and
hoWeNers, attempt to assure the public
that club officials and regular en-
ployes were not guilty of collision with
spectators who are admitted to have
secured tickets In such large numbers as
70 absolutely preclude the idea that they
were secured through the channels by
which the public was supplied" IL inti-
mates that the SPECTATORS might have
had dealings with one or two employees
the janitor and the office boy probably
uid business with Tarmany Hail
The spectators are we'll under stood to
have secured their tickets through poIit-
ical influence. The Philadelphia club Of
feials, II Is said, admitted to the commits
SLOT that they were held up by political
grafters and compelled to stand and de-
liver. That the cohorts Of Tammany
likewise raided the New York club has
never been denied and there had to be
some sort of "collusion."
q 20 IA. -.
Just as II gets its theater tickets. but the
commission, on plea Of lack Of evidence,
declines to say SO. There Is but one con-
clusion TO be drawn then. II Is that base
ball. the publlcs greatest recreation, IL
so at the mercy Of political grafters that
the men who conduct the game are afraid
TO say their very souls are their own.
The 1911 ticket speculation scandal has
wound up like those that have gone be-
fore. There will be other scandals with
the same results. as long as the public,
which is the real sufferer. meekly sub
mlts to system OF political machinery
which exploits II at every turn, whether
1t be in base ball or the granting OF
public utility franchise. -r.
ono report says Don Despair will re-
main in charge OF the Lincoln team, an
other that Ducky Holmes stands a good
change Of getting 1t on an option. Which,
ever way II turns out. II is to be hoped
that the owner and management this year
will be able to hold the team down TO
ball PLAYING past the middle of the sea-
son. Any one Of three different base ball
men In the Western league could have
taken last years Lincoln team and won
the pennant with II, or. at the very least.
closed in second place. At 1t was, the
team finished leading second division.
Raneor and discord shot It to pieces. The
result was loss to the Lincoln owner
ship and loss TO the league.
1t begins to look very much as II Frank
Isbell might yet land as the manager and
part owner Of the Des Moines club.
Comiskey. undoubtedly. owns the fran
chlse and plant and II Is figured n new
downtown plant will be ready for this
season. Isbell is dlckerlng to sell his
Pueblo club, and, While there is some talk
of Wichita getting back in the league.
there is little likelihood Of II getting back
as Isbell's club. Isbell worked for Comls-
key for ten years and stands ace-high
with the Old Roman. 1t would be mat
ter of mutual satisfaction, no doubt, for
Isbell to go TO Des Moines as the manager
or manager and part owner Of that club.
Much stranger things are happening
every day. We should like to see It..
Icy would restore Des Moines completely
TO the map and probably would chase the
team that won the pennant up the ladder.
Some such man as Frank 1sbell must go
to Des Moines or Des Moines will continue
going to the dogs. 1t all but arrived there
last season and II is too fine a town for
that place.