The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-11-04
PEACE IN BASEBALL
ONLY ONE YEAR OFF
SAYS FRANK |. MENKE
Outlaws and Organized Base
ball Anxious to Quit War;
fare Expensive to Purses
of Both.
RY FRANK G. MENkE

NEW YORK, Nov. 4.-Peace in the
baseball world is about one year dis
tant.
Both sides yearn for peace. They
want peace right now. But at this
time conditions are such that there
cannot be peace unless one side or the
other makes big concessions. And
neither side is willing to do this.
Organized baseball doesn't think
that the Feds have forced 1t into d
position where it should make any i'm
portant concessions to the Feds. Or
ganized baseball is willing right now
to take the Feds under its wing and
give the Federal League big minor
league status. The Feds refuse to lis
ten TO such plan
The Feds feel they have forced Or
ganizcd Baseball against the wall and
that it is only a question of time be-
tore they'll have Organized Baseball
prone upon the concrete and yelling
for mercy. Feeling thus, it isn't at
all likely that the Feds will give up
the fight until they have succeeded in
their CampaiSn-the subdulnS or Or
ganized Baseball.
In both factions there are magnateS
who are willing to make peace right
these magnates are III the minority
and the majority rules.
There is no denying the fact that
the Feds seem to hold the whip hand
right now. Peace. of course, would
mean much to them right now. but a
continuance of war means less harm
for them than 1t does to Organized
Baseball The Feds have most of
their players under three year iron
clad contracts In war or peace they
will have to pay the salaries those con-
tracts call for The Feds have all
their players hooked up to contracts
that are Of such kind that Organized
Baseball cannot steal away their play
ers
Lose Good Players.
With Organized Baseball. however.
the situation is different. Something
like so or 60 of the best players in
Organized Baseball had contracts that
expired at the end of the 1914 season.
Those fellows, didn't get any princely
salaries under their old contracts and
since the end of the season they have
been flirting with the Feds. Many
have signed Others will sign unless
Organized Baseball outbids the Feds
which would mean making a mighty
high bid.
Every man of any real baseball
ability that the Feds take away from
Organized Baseball means the lessen
ing Of the number of stars in Organic
ed Baseball and increase in the num-
Der of stars in the Federal League
Each new star that the Feds corral
gives their league a higher standing.
The Feds, in their fight. are fighting
only for themselves. They must pro,
tect only their own interests. They
haven't a lot of small leaguers to
look after. They aren't bound by any
agreement to protect anyone. The
case of Organized Baseball is much
different. however.
Organized Baseball must protect
not only the American and National
Leagues. but also all the minor
leagues that are tied up to the big
leagues by the national agreement
That agreement provides that the two
big leagues must give protection
whenever necessary to the small
leagues The Feds hardest blows tC
date have been aimed at the little
leagues They hammered the Inter
national League and American Asso
citation into a groggy condition this
year They landed a number Of ter
rifle blows at some Of the other
leagues. They promise to do further
damage in 1915.