Evening journal., 1914-12-17
GREEDY.
IRA thomas SAYS
Says They Are Killing the
Goose That Is Laying
the Golden Egg
WORLDS SERIES
BALKS FEDERALS

Ira Thomas. the veteran catcher of
the Philadelphia Athletics. a player
who has been In the game long enough
to know whereof he speaks, recently
gave ont an interview In the West In
which he summed up the present mud
died conditions la the baseball world
by stating that the ball players were
killing the goose that laid the golden
egg Thomas referred to thc men
who, casting moral and IN many cases
legal obligations aside, Joined forces
with the independent league. IN maxi
ing this statement Thomas voiced the
sentiments of many old ball players as
well as others closely identified with
the national pastimo
How the now league rs going 10 pay
the immense salaries TO players and
make "a profit or where the great sums
necessary 10 meet these obligations
are TO como from Is indeed a mystery
and the logical solution of The prob
/ lem "a present aeems 10 bc that play
ors IN The end will be the victims of
their own greed.
Surely oven such great stars as
/ Walter Johnson are being overpaid II
the word of the Foderals is 10 be taxi
+ en- as truth and the constant sQuab-
lling among the players for big
B salaries does moi tend 10 add Interest
7 10 the game or increase tho inith of
( tho public IN the sport.
The athletes should realize thar the
/ public is depended ON 20 foot the bill,
T and if any league paying axorbitani
salaries wishes 20 real ~ O. prOnt ON
the money invested ia the game. {
same public must COME through with
/ sufficient money TO pay these salaries
Few clubs In amy league made
money last season. simply because tho
players got every dollar that came
through the gate Such conditions
cannot last forever. and if the ball
player insists on disgusting The public
and killing the fans interest in th,
sport, he is likely TO find fin time thai
there will be no salary at all.
Did not the Federal League officials
come out only few weeks ago an,
announce that The players were get
! ting Fall the money" and that salarie
must come down and the number O
players TO be carried must be reduce
and have not 20. b. magnates sal
i the samc2
D Walter Johnson is The biggest iis
y the Federal League has landed yp
b hut even with him Ia ifs ranks.
there is not more of a demand for
! third big league by the baseball pub
, lie than was manifested last season
The organization will find itself In
much bigger and deeper hole mex
, fall
Johnson viii not make the Fedora
League any more than did those sta
players who joined Il wear ago an'
PLAYED an one season with ~. Thu
public must be- interested I'm am
/. league and race TO warm up, and sure
IS there was very little interest shown
: in last season Fed contests for thl
pennant. and J do not look for mucl
b more next year. There Is such thin'
. as having too much baseball and will
; three big leagues IN the field a conilic
Of dates cannot be helped half thi
season at the very best
Interest may be taken from baseball
by the Federal League. as was th'
case last season, but that will not hell
the outlaws" II may hurt the Ma
tional and American leagues 10 Ger
tain extent, but that will not make th
Feds, by any means.
The worlds series Is a stumblin
block In the path of the Feds. Tha
: has become the biggest and most i'm
] portant event in baseball. II Is al
] annual affair and all National in IL
scope of interest, and no league tina
e is not represented in the series ca
/ ever. hope to attain the prestige
I prominence. popularity or patronag
- that those leagues do that have repre-
sentation in the contests for the gon
!. falOn OF the universe.