The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-03-17
Walter Johnson
 Makes Signed Statement.
evvaitsr Johnson in Baseball Masa-

The sensational jump of Walter lJ ohnRon to the Federal League and his no less sensational jump back i again were the big feature of the win- f ter. Tn q signed article in the April ] issue Of the Baseball Magazine the great pitcher explains his conduct
 will try to explain. frankly and 4 openly, why I signed with the Federal \ League. I know that my act in Ieav- A Ing my original club. Washington, to go with q new league, and then ap- paPentIy deserting the Federals for Washington has been severely criti- clsed and can easily see why this is
 w hem a man has made a mistake it is very easy to criticise him without knowing the motives which indueed hard for him to explain those m olives without having his explanation called i an alibi. Perhaps the stateme ent I am here going to make will be@called an altbt by many people, but it is not Intended in that light. t have never Eyef made an alfbi and never expect ito make one. But I do claim the privilege common to all--tEle privi- lege of being heard before I am judged but think owe 1t to my self as well as to the public to ex- plain the unpleasant situation in which found myself this winter and howl caxfe. quite unfn ona1l ly. to get Into such position Then, if shown that deserve blame for what have denes and admit, in E the fight of experkenee that F did not act wisely, make no excuses and ask for no cohsfderatfon.s am willing to accept whatever blame is due me,
 From the first, was always Inn pressed with the Federal League They looked to me like a game crowd. and admired their courage do not see how anyone who has seen how they have fought agai nst the greatest odds can fail to be~i npT-ess- ed vii their courage I alWayss hop ed they would succeed for thought their success was a good thing for the ball player, and a good thing for the public The public wants high grade base baI1--the more it can get 4 ths better. At least that was tn he way looked at tts an q still do.
 think my attitude toward Wash A1ngton was always clear have re- peates11y said, that I would play for would anywhere else, have proved that ptate4nent by doing exactly that a thing; for I turned down superior F'ederaI League ofEer to go with my old employ CTS That is what meant F by saving that other things being anyw here nearly equal would all E1Esryss give FTashfz1g gtoTz the pre- reference. But had been free 10 sign as -I supp posed was, and had been offered q Ess1ary so much larger than Washing
 
 F1air comparison, would have felt that owed il to my own future to talks the larger prospect just as any fotfleFa man in any other business INYou1dE have done 4s
 wrote Clark Griffith after Fielder kJonez had offered me SEQ. 100 "a year, t and asked him if he would give me S1s 0go- He had already made that auggest10n himself and though it. Twas no more than fair to take the kzaaEsss own proposfti on. He did not ErepIg to this letter. and left me in the dark as to his intentions. It twas about this time that President eIl- more of the Federal League gave out tlle statement that he would make no more ofrers to high priced stars. for sthe Federal Leagu wished rather to build up their average stan dard Of players Ehis seemed to. eliminate sxr1e from their consideration, for which T could in no wise blame them. FheE had made nae 8 fine offer Of $20.000 year noEe than [ had any fexpectaHon even at the time Of get-. Eting from Washin gton, and had Turned the offer down merely because b1 wanted to give Washin gton the tpreference.
 I was not worried at all by tlae turn Of events, sblIt when heard inofhfnR from. VVashfngfofl F tfloi,kSlat tperhaps my first letter had been lost in the mail and wrote again [ re- lceiVed no reply to this letter either but some time after I received a let Iter from President Minor. He is fIawyers and no doubt accustoIned tos being somewhat decisive in his cor resppndence. As president of the Washington club he is anxious to get players for as small salaries as pos Fiblea do not, and did not at the time, blame him personally for the letter. but I did not like it He wrote gn effect that T. was the lawful prop erty of Washington; that the best figure they could make me was $12,-. 500 a year, and that if did not ac-a rept this figure they would renew their old contract according to option.
 It was easy to see what he was thinking of-s He had read President Esf1moress statenent, and about that lime there was a general ruInor that the Federal League would go under. He thought I had no chance to play anywhere elses and that he had me where he could dictate terms. Now [ Don't mind saving that nobody ever had me where they could dictate terms, and don't think they ever will can make a living if [ never play any more baseball
 It might be said that I ought to have been satisfied with $12,500, and that lots of people would have been glad to get that much money. bVas myself when got it. but I had lust turned down an offer for $2o.00e knd had previous offer from Wash mgton for S16.00e and good hope bf getting SIS, 900 So. in my aitua- lion, coming so suddenly and unex- pectedIy. the letter made me sore, knd I resented it
 Not very long after this occurrence
 received a letter from Charles Weeghn1an asking me if was in po- Fition to talk bust ness. and suggesting that if I was, make trip to Chi sago and talk things over. wrote that [ was in a position to talk busi- hess but that had garage to look put for in CoffeyvfI1e and couldn't Eery well get away. but if they would tend Representative to see me would talk with him. So Joe Tinker