The Washington herald., 1914-12-03

According to Robert B. Ward, president
Of the Brooklyn Federal League cdub (whc
by the way is one of the outlaw circuit
hackers most feared by organized base
bald, the Feds are jpst as full of fight as
last spring and better equipped for the
coming battle, because Of a seasons ex-
perience behind them.
Mr.. Ward was interviewed at his home
in Brooklyn last night and vouchsafed the
following:
There are some matters that the base
ball public Is entitled to know, and 1 am
willing to furnish all available informa-
ton on the situation in general.
1T seems to me that some People ap-
pear to view the Federal League as a
speculation made by our organization
to reap the benefit Of profit that might
be gained by others who have been in
the game longer than the FederaIs. Such
conclusion is unfair for several rea-
sons. the principal of which n that IL
Is not good. sound American reasoning
Baseball, our national game, is a de-
cidedly bigger proposition than 1t appears
at first glance.
Sentiment has made the game a
marvellous success because baseball is
attractive and a splendid pastime open
to the enjoyment OF all our peoule No
man or set OF men has any right to con-
troll sentiment. Supplying baseball of
the highest type for the patronage and
pleasure OF the people is a business pure
and simple. A business that appeals to
the sentiment Of the people ought to be
good business. and that thought Is the
foundation of the Federal Laegue, just
as 1t Is Of the National League and the
American League Now, don't get senti-
ment and business confused. There is
difference and a distinction which applies
to everything and everybody in baseball
AS yet have not run across any OF
the men conducting the big leagues
who is straining his constitution on
sentiment The other people are in
baseball just Is we are. to meet the de-
mand. to improve the game. at a profit.
II possible. That's the plain English
of it.
The Federal League has been ac-
cused, by the other leagues. OF every
thing, including the loss of a lot of
money. II organized baseball is cor
rect in that, surely the Federal League
has clean slate on sentiment. When
the patrons of baseball get better ac-
quainted with the Federal League and
its manner of doing business we shall
be the more appreciated and not be the
losers by comparison.
The history of our first season is so
well known by the baseball public that
1t is needless to go back to that save
to say that our club did not give
Brooklyn as good a representative as
we had hoped. and the result only made
US more determined for the future.
a great ball team is by no
means an easy task. Nevertheless.
that is the task We set out to accom-
plish and nothing else will meet our
views. II money. patience and wide
awake methods will bring the results
we are after, Brooklyn will have
team of which she need not be
ashamed.
That bosh about the Federals re-
strictinE teams to twenty players to
save money is too silly to think about.
[ will say, however. that we have an
to limit our playing
staffs to the same number of men as
will be carried by the National and
American teams. We adopted that
stand solely in fairness to the other
leagues. The number of players on our