Omaha daily bee., 1914-01-04

~
up out of this agitation over the
IN Federal league, as big man.
- - Let them co." he says. 1T will
hedp base ball" lie seems to be
the only maGnate with vision broad
enough to see that. An the others who
have expressed themselves publicly voice
plans of restriction or antagonlsm or
threats. The difference between these
men and johnson is that Johnson secs
the inevitable and they do not. Perhaps
,'ohnson's past experience aids his pros
cnt vision, for the American leag;te
came into existence, as all know. in out
law form. just as the Federal is doing,
end nobody knows better than the big.
broad president of the American league
just how easy it all was after the start
was made Thea as now it was merely
a matter of development, of base ball
evolution. The time came in 1900 when
base ball was big enough as a national
game to support two major leagues and
the time probably now has come when
IT is equal to three such organizations.
That is what johnson sees and the others
do not. The Federal league may not
succeed just yet, especially upon 50 large
and complete n scale as its promoters
predict-we do not know; 1t may not have
the financial backing II claims-we do
not know; 1t may not have as many Iig
league stars to bedeck its armament ana
make brilliant its real advent-we do not
know But this we do know, that II the
Federal league has the money it claims,
to say nothing of the rest. it has me
fight won new.
Given the money, II will get the
players the grounds and the patron
age. The minute 1t gets the players. ana
plays the ball it will get the crowds
Al the fans want Is base ball, they care
% nothing about sentiment, And with
Tinker Brown. Sheckard, StovalL Ned
Hanlon and a few other such real base
ball men, the Federals seem to have at
least a start toward the proper personnel
Ned Hanlon, from the day of his great
ness in center field, on through the stages
of his career as manager and owner, has
always been one of the brainiest men
in base ball and now he is one nt the
wealthiest, and has been for long time,
though many think Edward is not as yet
putting much of his own capital into the
new organization. BE that as it may, he
has allied himself with it and that with
Baltimore, keen-edged for restoration 10
big company, back of him means a lot
for the Federal league. But, ah, Sir
Charles Webb Murphy speaks. He fain
would crush this incipient assault upon
the citadel of organized base ball with
one fell swoop of civil law. He boasts
a view of the law by former President
Taft, whose brother put Charles in the
business. to the effect that the Federals
cannot legally proceed. Oh dear oh,
dear! OF course now, there will be sor-
did skeptics as usual to bob up and ques-
tion Sir Charles word about that presi-
DENTAL opinion, and ask: Has civil 'aw
undergone any fundamental changes
since the Brotherhood days and the
American league INVASION
We can't tell yet what the result may
be. Ban johnson, intellectually honest,
seems TO let the cat out of the bag by say
ing that they had better let Tinker and the
rest of them go; that it will help instead
of hurting the game. All quibbling aside
the time seems ripe for the invasion, both
as to the sentiment and support Of base
ball fans and chronOgically. The Broch'
erhoop movement came i'm 1890, 'ht
American league invasion decade later
and now the Federals little more -har
a decade after that The growth and ce'
velopment of base ball in the last decade
has been 'inoomparaby beyond that oi
the ten years Immediately preceding. Like
any other business, new enterprises prob
ably will simply mean new trade, increas
ing the field from which to draw alonl
with the forces Of competition. But i
there is any bl'ghting aspect TO the 1ut
look the major magnates have only them
( selves to blame They have played I
E fast and tight game blocking every AZ
tempt at liberalism, monopolzing thst
power and abusing their privileges.
Talk about civil law. what civil Law
would ever sanction such thing as on
club ownership holding title TO severa
score Of players, contrary to base bal
law? II base ball law means anything fl
the terms Of civil law it must mean, 70
Instance, when it says no team shall keel
more than twenty-five players, that an
nothing else. Yet we find major team
owning as high as eighty players at IN
time. Then, base ball law prohibit
farming" and yet we see all but twenty
five or thirty of these eighty player
farmed out In one way or another, bu
inevitably tied up helpless to the majo
ownership. The player becomes mer
chattel, the magnate a despot. It's Iok
even to discuss it seriously. let alou
dignity this smub chatter about the bin1
ing effect Of the contract 1t has Ion
been known that base ball mRgnate
lever cared much about airing the merit
Of their contracts" in civil court. an
IL is very doubtful II they have change
their mind on this.