The Washington times., 1914-06-14


another campaign or will cause endless
strife next winter before witherins
away. is a conviction reached after
having discussed all Of the more i'm
portant features of the situation with
those who are qualified to represent
the warning factions.
That the Federal League has out
grown all proportions that baseball
men believed 1t would reach. cannot be
gainsaid- The trouble with organized
baseball Is that prosperity beyond the
dreams of avarice caused 1t to become
SO self-satisfied that when the outlaw
movement started, 1t was dismissed
with a smile by those who were sup
posed to be on the alert to thwart any
actions that might embarrass the Ma
tional Commission IN its czar-like power
over the whole sphere Of the national
pastime.
Ban johnson and others were told
late fall that the Federals were show
ing a percnicious activity that might
cause endless woe. To these friendly
suggestions they turned a deaf ear.
Now they are paying richly for their
own short-sightedness
organized baseball some Of It's richest
jewels. but. IL the promoters OF the en-
terprise are to be credited. the fight
has Just started. The principal dtfn-
Guilty experienced by the Federals when
they attempted to ALLEVIATE men last
winter was that the players were leary
about teopardizing their standing be-
fore organized basebalPs highest tn
bunaI by affiiiating with league that
had yet to prove 1t could % mucn os
open a season.
This handicap has. to certain ex-
tent. been overcome, and the soiidjty
of the Federals has been estaonsned 20
the satisfaction Of some players 10
such an extent that the outlaws are de-
claring that they today have men under
contract for next season who are go.
ing through this year as members OF
teams in both the American and Ma
tional Leagues. 49,.
This. Of course, Is denied BY ytior .nose
on the side of the Older organization
still il Is within the confidential knowl-
edge of the writer that at least one
player who has opposed the Nationais
within the last week Is already nxeo as
a Federal for 1915. President GiIIors .,l'S
by a dozen and still fall shy OF tne
number already grabbed by the OUT
laws. And the end Is not yet
Adhering tenaciously to their 9r1sinss M
purpose Of not tinkering with tne
champions of last year. but concen-
trating their attack on the other teans as
in the hope of killing all competition N
the matter of the race for the PennaI'
in both of the older Leagues, .ne 80,
erals plan to cut aeepiS iH'o
probable contenders; ~.r. that
When the Fede-als make oners thI'
orc oil nut OF prop ortion tn last sal
aries for the most conspicuous SIZE
they have a double purpose. u taes
car land their prey. they are ssusn
lee eue tn an unlimited extent. while II
they can force tho club on the otner
s,se IN double or treble the salary OF
inmfnary. they cause such disscns,on
snoong tie lesser lights that tney' 700,
will demand similar increase or mop
to the Feds. .,,,h
u, double the salary of a ptchcr IN Or
der TO retain him, they figure inst TINS
TsiII brine an outfelder 0r an fnfeioer
forward with demands for IKE ooos..
II the other man gets the increase nc
will stick. nut otherwise me rc.s ~ ~.
IN bring such financial influence 10 oear
to.t they can grab the second best
thereby weakening the organized base
S.u club in 1ust such proportion as
thew themselves viii be strepS' nehyu.
That the Federa,s today ars not piay-
ing major league baseball and .nat .nsy
90 not drawing well are fa2ts tnat can
ut he gainsaid. True. the present year
"a . moor one for baseball Cnsettied
- ,<Itt;ons at home and the threat Oh
tI,e necessity Of a foreign lnVaslor, nav
ief, business affairs In this country IN
such conditions that there ,t,s mus DE- ?
aItra money available for the pursuits
60 Measure. Lean business yeats mean
roor baseball years, and ;st4 is PROVING
~, axcentIon- either to the Tsdefals OF
auv other league In the country.
Last Sunday the Nationals WENT INTO
9, ouis setting the pace for the Amer
%. aarue while the Browns were on
a., crest Of a wave Of victory that was
swasnipr all before It g. Louis was
:, tbs throes of the greatest taseoall
.xcitement that It has had since 1879,
when McAIeer pu. team weii Up III
tfc race .s ,s ,,Jsb+
- axnected for st. Louis, still there
wsre less than 5000 In the stands, wn1ie
SonbIe that number has often aAsemnled
IN the same park on less auspicious &C.
casions. s 81,
>-atinnals have been the greatest road
tam In the circuit in the matter or
atra citing large crowds The writer mas
Witnessed every game the Nationals
nave played since the season started
but has vet to see a packed park All
Of which would go to prove that from
rho viewpoint of the turrstile 1914 Is
not to be among basebalfs most sue
cessful years.
So it would seem that the Federals
are starting on an ill-starred journey:
While organized baseball has suffered
intensely is a fact that will be borne
ont by figures. still while the two ma
iors have been affected, the tederais
have been harder hit, their crowos
dW,ndling' down to small NUMBERS II,
snme of the cities where they expected
10 mako their strongest stand
At. St Louis they have opposed tle
most successful Brownie team that ma $
been known IN seven years, Mnile az
pittsburgh their club was In the ruck
~ their league while the Pirates were
out in front in the National This prac-
tically killed Federal revenue IN poth
of these cities.
Cbicapo's well-known antipathy
toward Charley Murphy gave the Fed
erals an advantage over the CUBS, nut
Corn;skey still holds the whip hand with
his White Sox in the metropolis OF IL
linois. -, -
Prooklyn's National League club has
nor been a screeching success, still II
has outdrawn the games that nave