Omaha daily bee., 1914-11-08
Judgments

- OWN in Dixie-"the land whar ]
was born in'-there used TO be !
an old darky preacher who, like
~ most Of the dsrky camp meetin'
parsons of the day. was much In
clined toward the lugubrious shades of
life He saw the word pitching head
long to haues every once in o while and
had a way of shouting TO hs deluded
hearers. THE old gospel ship is fast
aplunging down the shoals of destruction;
soon hit'll be done sunk, and then you
sinnersI wish you had taken Uncle
Neb's advice and quit yo' meanness."
Now, we have not come to the time of
believing that the old ship of base ball
has quite reached the shoals of destruc-
ton, but we do venture to say that un-
less those in charge Oh the ship come to
their senses and quit their meanness
there is no telling how soon the snip
may reach the rocks. Federal and or
ganized leaders a1e said to have agreed
that the time has come for halt in the
frenzied financial methods that have
characterized proceedings the last two
years. Indeed, yes. The time has more
than come for it. Base ball cannot sur
vive another two years of such cut-throst
business. 1t cannot survive long the
range of salaries that are being paid in
many cases Not only does the mad, IN
bridled passion for players, regardless of
pay. upset the scales of business values,
but it has very demoralizing effect on
the patrons of the game, who want to
hear more about base ball and less about
money. They can get all the money
talk from the market and financial pages
of the paper without going to the sport
ing page for more.
The thing then, for the magnates who
meet in Omaha this week to do IL SIM
ply to take Off taeir masks, stand right
up in meeting and tell their right names.
In other words, the men who are behind
the bllboards CT base ball have come
TO the tlne at reckoning with their
better SENSES, Either they are going to
stay in the game OF they are not, for
they can have no game TO stay in very
long at the rate they have been going.
This leads us TO say that the settlement
will involve some compromising; It will
necessarily be a give-and-take affair.
Neither side, regardless of the right or
wrong of the matter, win be able to die
tate terms entirely to its own liking. So
and prosperity may be restored by bull
doing or brow-beatlng, he has the very
notion that, followed far enough, will
bring up to the destructive shoals. There
has been too much of this already; in
fact. it is precisely this that we are
trying to get away from. Let's have
done with the bluffng; let's get down TO
brass tacks; let's look the thing square
in the face, admitting that mutual inter
ests are at stake. Then, and only then,
will the way be clear to some sort of
rational solution.
We say base ball cannot long survive
the kind OF oppression II has endured for
these two years. Two years is a short
interval in the life of an institution.
Quite true, but evidently not so short
but that it can come perllously close to
the death knell Two months is a
shorter period In the life of a nation yet
see what two months have done for some
of the nations OF Europe. Base ball was
not made for war, nor war for base ball.
Peace, and peace only, is the propagating
influence. The war flurries may have
their virtues; they may bring their re-
wards; may be crucibles, so TO speak, fot
greater refining. for burning out the
dross and making the metal pure. That
is true only provided the process of re-
finement ends on time, according 10 the
laws OF chemistry. And we maintain
that the time is now up. The period OF
destruction should give way 20 that OF
construction. Take the emphasis off the
commercial and put it on the sport side
of the game. Let US have done with the
hammer-and-tongs methods. Let the
public understand that before Il is bus
inegs base ball is a game; that the
money side is only a means to the end
OF the sport legitimate means. to hs
SURE. but only a means and not the end
II the Omaha meeting should end with
out bridging the chasm between outlaw
and organized base ball, then woe to the
fortunes Of the game in 1915! What
happened in 1914 will hardly be a .circum-
stance In the work OF disaster. Readers
must not get the idea that this dis
aster has only to do with financial In
comes; every. intelligent student OF the
situation knows that II has affected
playing discipline and every other aspect
of the game. Discipline especially in the
minors last year, was probably worse
than II had been for many years. Con
crete cases Of players ignoring man
ageriai authority could be cited, and
therei is no need to say that conoret'
cases of indifferent playing could b
cited. Things were badly demoralized
yet we do not hesitate to say that, un
less present conditions are remedied
they will be worse demoralized next sea
son. II Is our deliberate judgment tina
the remedy will come. We believe TO-
thoroughly in the saneness OF the mel
with their money tied up IN base ball no
to believe that they will take steps 4
rectify the situation and put the gam
back on a sound. safe footing. Not L
DO this. when they can, would be IN
worst sort OF nonsense. Some folks thin
Ban johnson will stand in the way o
settlement We have no reason to sa
20. but If he attempted il the men wit