Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-23
BLOW TO FEoERALs
 IN JoHNsoN's RETURN
Other PIayers on Verge of Jumping
 No~ Likely to Be Deferred.


 The one big topic in baseball circles locally as well as all over the coun- try was the unexpected return of Walter Johnson to the ranks of or ganized baseball and the consequent discontinue of the Feds.
 Great as was the blow sustained a fortnight ago when Wasington's pre- nlier pitcher quit the Senators, great CT still was the jolt handed to the Federal leas7e through Johnson's de- Washington cllrb. Columns of free advertising had been given to the '-independents'' through the supposed desertion of Johnson, and the Fed erals were not backward irn playing the situation to the limit.
 Hard Blow to Feds.
 And now that Johnson has decided that his original contract with the Washington club was binding, the temporary props have been knocked from under the outlaw league and the "bread and butter league is in an even worse situation that when the recent disastrous season closed. With malcontentS. Bender and Plank, as widely advertised endorsements to their ranks, the F'ederals were in a position to gather in quite a few dis satisfied players who were willing to accept ready money" from the out laws.
 But with Johnson back again in or ganized baseball it is a much different story. The added prestige that would have been gained through the pres ence of Johnson in Federal league ranks and the money that his appear ance in the various Federal league cities might attract at the gate, has vanished like smoke. Furthermore, more than one major league player who was about to follow Johnson's s example will probably think twice be- fore making any such move and the chances are that not a few will smother their dissatisfaction and get back again into regular" harness. In addition, this latest change of heart by Johnson will probably have no little effect in restraining the Base ball Players Fraternity from insisting upon several rather unwarranted de- mands that they have made lately, The unexpected move of Johnson will undoubtedly take a. lot of kick out of these would-be baseball lawmakers Thomas Lannin, one of the Red Sox directors, was profoundly pleased al the news that Johnson had made his peace with the Washington club President Lannin/ has always main | tained that Johnson is one of the most upright characters in baseball said Cousin Tom, tand his latest ac- | tion proves it. Like many others
  he was jumping to the Feds, not only on account of the loss that organized baseball would sustain but also fo1 his own sake.
 Johnson has always stood at the | top in the estimation of baseball own- CTS and fans and had he chosen to irepudiate his agreement with Griffith ] believe he would have lost a great deal of caste. But his determination | to stick to his original agreement even at the loss of considerable money proves that he is of the type we al- ways believed him to be.
 +'The one great effect of this will be I to restrain others who might have been influenced to follow Johnson's example and through some fancieo grievance cast in their lot with the outlaw organization. They will sec | the folly of such a move now, I hope l and realize that their future con- sists in sticking to the men who have helped the game and put them where | they are today" @