The Washington herald., 1914-09-13
FRATERNITY HAS
HURT BASEBALL
Organized Magnates Were
Justified in Directing to 1t,
But Not for Their Reason.
LOWERS MEMS STANDING
Old Way Unfair to Players. But Was
the Only Way to Run. the
Game.

Philadelphia. Pa. Sept 12-while there
is no doubt that ball players have the
right TO be organized into a protective as
sociation like those OF other laboring
classes, there is no doubt that IT has
hurt their popularity amone fans Even
calling their organization a fraternity,
instead of a union. has not helped very
much toward Disgusting its real nature
and purpose.
Baseball magnates were opposed to the
forma ton of the fraternity. and most OF
its preliminary negotiations were conduct
ed with great secrecy. so that II was not
generally known who were behind 1t until
II was launched. full-grown, on the IN
suspecting world. The reason the mag
mates were and are opposed to it was and
Is the same as the reason why most mag
mates in any other line Of business dislike
to see their employees organized. 1t means
the curtailing of their power. and the
consequent necessity Of dealing with en-
ployes as a body instead OF as tndi-
viduals. II Is much easier to handle 100
individuals than It is TO handle a union
with 100 members and a president and
walking delegates and such
Regarded ms Working.
But organized baseball might well have
opposed the fraternity for the subtler
reason that ii would attenuate the gate
receipts to have the public regard the
PLAYERS as workingmen instead Of heroes.
Both players and magnates apparently
walked in without having considered this
phase Of it. Fraternity name Of the
body, may Indicate that President Fultz
had taken this factor into consideration O.
But II he did he forgot about It in the
rush for advertisement, in which the fra
ternity was like the magnates. They de-
sired as much publicity as possible. Ad-
vertising is undoubtedly a great producer
of business. But in their anxiety to get
as much as possible published about them
selves both sides forgot the salient prin-
ciple OF advertising, namely. that you
must tell only the good things about your
article.
Fans Want Heroes.
II is very much TO ones credit and GER
tainly not a disgrace to be a workingmsn. n.
but there is something in the nature of a
tan that requires him to regard his heroes
as noble beings and not as workingmen
trying to get as much money as possible
for as little effort as possible, or as hired
hands selling themselves to the highest
bidder. The fan won't pay money to see
people work, although it might be worse
sport.
Undoubtedly the contract system with
its ten-day clause. gave the magnates a
tyrannical hold on the players. with al
most absolute power to fix their salaries.
But unjust as il seems to be. experiment
has proved that It is the best way TO run
the game. Putting the control Of the
sport in the hands OF the players will
sooner or later result in disaster. Not
that they are less capable or less worthy
Of profting from the game than the mag
mates, but because there are more OF them
and II is harder TO keep harmony.
The historic example Of the brotherhood
League has lost much OF its freshness and
application. because the ball player OF to-
day is considerably further along the line
OF development than the athlete Of the
nineties. The real menace that threatens
baseball today Is the Players Fraternity.
Not because players have no rights. for
they have and not because the magnates
are lofty-minded philanthropists. for they
are not, but because baseball today has
come TO be a battle for profits between
magnate and player, and the fans are get
ting wise, and the end Of II may be desc
lation and open-air movie shows where
once were prosperous ball parks.