The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-28
Congressman Neglect Work
to Watch Results of
Worlds Series
EAGER FOR RETURNS
Business Hats While Clerks
Scan Signs Showing Pro-
gress of Game.
BY JONATHAN WINFIELD.


WASHINGTON, Oct. 28.-There are
many tales told of how stay-at-home
people in stormy times have waited
In nervous suspense for news from
the front Go to any gathering of old
people, and you can hear stories Of
how they waited in nervous suspense
for news from the front. Go to any
gathering of old people, and you can
hear stories of how they waited fe-
verishly at the post office and the tel
egraph office for news from the Civil
War battle fields. Such stories are
common. But to witness real agitation
induced by suspense on the part of
stay-at-home people when there is
something stirring going on at the
front, be in Washington, the seat of
government, during the World Series
baseball game.
Washington primarily is a city of
baseball fans. The government enter
tains fairly liberal policy in connec-
ton with the public and the grass and
in consequence as soon as a boy comes
Of the baseball age he begins to play
The grass is handy and there are no
signs of warning him away, so early in
life he becomes enthusiastic over the
national sport.
Washington's team in the American
league represents conglomerate
aeity to which nearly the entire city
bows, the baseball park is the sacred
grove of thousands of Washingtonians
and, on the whole, Washington may be
considered a baseball town.
Full Of Fans.
Now, on top of these considerations
figure up the number of successful
Americans who are baseball enthusi-
asts. | think you will find large per
centage of successful men in every
city who spend much time, money and
effort in witnessing and discussing
struggles on the diamond. Therefore
consider further that successful men
come to Washington as members OF
congress, as government officials and
in many capacities closely connected
with the seat of government. So there
you have another feeder to Washing
tons baseball population.
And again consider this. If you go
into the smoking compartment of
sleeper or chair car you inevitably
will find that before the train reaches
any place in particular the converse
ton will have turned upon baseball.
The subject is considered by many to
constitute in itself a form of introduc-
ton to strangers. Now the smoking
compartments of such vehicles are
occupied by travelling statesmen and
tourists. Washington is the chief mec-
ca of tourists in this section of the
country, and also Washington is es-
sentially a retail town-There is
scarcely manufacturing plant in the
district. SO it must be (and isl a great
town for the travelling statesmen who
come from the centers where goods
are made. Thus we have two more
sources of enlargement of the Wash
ington baseball population. With the
city established as a baseball town,
Facts follow:
Police Necessary.
Two daily newspapers have erected
before their plants of publication,
mammoth scoreboards which are en-
1ivened by electricity. During base
ball game, the reports are flashed to
the board and, by the manipulation of
different colored lights, spectator
before the board can see every move
made on the field where the game is
being played All through the summer
the streets before these two boards
were thrOnged during the game, but
during the Worlds series became nee
essary to call out the police reserves
They came and took their places in
front of the boards long before it was
time for the game to tbegin. Gradual
ly the crowd increased until its out
skirts were in the middle of the
street. One of the boards faces a
broad plaza. Finally this was packed
solid except for narrow lanes for the
passage of the street cars. The crowd
was noisy at first busting noise of
many conversations and then the
game began. Instantly hush spread
through the crowd until something
happened and then a slight cheer went
up. During the times when the crowd
was quies, watching witE straining
eyes for any movement of the specks
of light whic htold the story of the
play being made, a high, shrill, piping
cry would go up from some diminutive
street gamin, crouching in front of
the mass of standing humanity. Now
and then a policeman's gruff voice
would demand that these on the dive
of the crowd press closer to keep clear
the narrow ways provided for street
cars and those whose business took
them away from the board. But these
noises were punctuation marks. For
the most part the crowd watched the
board in strained silence, exectp for
the good plays. The scale these
cheers ran was interesting in itself.
From faint half-heated one at some
fairly good play they ranged to good
old fashioned shouts of approval, and
a few times during each game, the
real yelling cheer of the baseball fan
gone mad was raised.
Buildings Crowded.
In the windows of neighboring build
ings appeared black figures. If you
had gone into these, you would find
scores of men, unable to leave the
buildings, gazing at the boards be-
tween bits of enforced activity
through field and opera glasses.
But the most interesting feature OF
the latest World Series was the pc
culiar action of Congress. Both
houses of the national legislature are
filled with base ball fans. One of the
FIRST days of the series. some of the
leaders were particularly anxious to
DO business. but the opposition to the
measures under consideration made
The point of no quoroum in each house
Such members as were not in New
York CITY at the Polo Grounds, &C