El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-30

Ever since the two big leagues went
to war. salaries have maintained M
high standard that the IShI esIaD
lished But the magnates IN any an
nouncements have never failed TO eN-
aggerate the remuneration of a star.
There were newspaper" salaries OF
10000 in the big leagues years ago
when an athlete involved would nave
shaken hands with himselI LOT re
ceivins half the sum. And there are
RENTED salaries today which, If the
truth We're known, would shrink CON
siderablv in the wash Of straight 1acI-
But there are instances where the mag
nate has to toe the mark ana come
across with the big money.
cobb Gets Big Salary.
Tv Cobb of the Tigers is one. he
is the highest paid athlete of the
game. Bonuses viii bring his supeHu
this year to fully Sl5,OOO- lie IllsHI
I have been cOntented with han IHe
sum if the magnates themselves had
not educated the puDlc ana IHe Li@S 1
ers to the value of publicity CoDO
was in a dictatorial position. he knew
that the Detroit management InlShS a.
well lock up its park as TO arrow ,,i ~.
to idle. while the once great 1lS9I
machine was on the tObOggan-
In kindred fashion the promoters
have injured their own cause by TAX
ing in stage money The late JolAl
T. Brush set the fashion by paying
guard. There followed anolher al
legged" bit of extravaganza on the part
/ of Barney Dreyfuss when st. Paul &C
cepted $22,50O for Marty OIooIe-
O'TOoIe perhaps did not cost more
than a third of his reputed sale price
: hut the record figures made good read
| ing throughout the cOuntry-and
/ biz drawing card for PittsburS-
Minors Boost the Prices.
! Other clubs saw the advantage.
4
Players that formerly CouIu De Ia
/ at modest figures soon began TO ar
rive in fast company, heralded as
5 record" purchases. For a while the
minor leaguers smiled up their sleeves
I Then they gradually began to take ad-
/ vantage of this mania for publicity
! and boosted the figures steadily. The
/ result has naturally followed that
within the past two or three years the
price of bush league talent has
I tripled Major leagues are not paying
I today what they say they are Tor
minor league players But still Ihey
I are paying in many cases double and
| treble the real value of the player.
The Sale of ChappeIIe.
Here is a little example. Charlie
Z COmiskey wished TO land Chappelle, OF
/ Milwaukee. The tip passed around
| mysteriously somehow Almost every
/ major league rival Immediately cast IN
an oar. COmiskey finally landed ms
! prize but not until he had to part with
I several times the Original inquire IL
( was the same thing with Frank Mar
/ reI when he went after Naisel. The
| Boston Nationals were set on taking
I him away from New York. Stallings
I offered $4,000 and two players Far
/ rel had to give up two first rate
! players and a big bundle Of cold cash
Farrell also wanted outfielder Gil
hooly, Of Montreal He would have
! a good buy at $4,000 or $4,000 But
/ when the Montreal boss heard of what
Jack Dunn had done in the Malse
| deal, GilhOOly's price Immediately be-
| came prOhibitive. Sammy Litchen'
] helm modestly asked two players anC
! $4,000. He got the cold shoulder
] lost the chance for a good deal and
! Will also lose his player through tbs
{ draft New York may not land Gil
hoOIy. But il is certain that 16 draft!
I viii be put in for him.
Millions Are Tied Up.
The major magnates have no on
! but themselves TO blame for presen
I conditions Matters have come to
! pass where some OF the promoters vii
| go bankrupt If care is not taken
[ Millions are tied up in major league
I property, but when the price of minOl
I league players scars up beyond al
! reason and when salaries advance be
[ yOnd reason those millions are bound
to be jeOpardized. The maSnatei
! would do well to pause and cOnside'
I this angle, \ purchase price limi
and more rigidly enforced and NOR
conservative roster limit would do
heap Of good.