The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-02
FEDERALS ARE HAVING
SOME HARD STRUGGLES
Independent Organization Finds That Baseball War Is Uphill
prexy Gilmore Declares That He Wants Lot Of Young
III Blood In League Next Season.

Breaking into the big league arena
WAS more difficult than the Federal
owners imagined. They were checked
mere and there, particularly when or
xanixed baseball framed the fronclad
contract, and in their first and second
years they had to grab a collection
ct blokes who were fronting on their
regulations in the big leagues and
VINO were ready to slip to the minors.
Young blood Is to be favored In the
Federal League ranks next season.
Stars who Jumped from the big league
ranks to the third circuit will have to
show more than their uniforms. II
they don't they are to be thrown into
the discard. That was virtually what
Jim Gilmore announced recently and
ahoWD how the wind 10 blowing. But
the good young player are not any
more available than the good seasoned
players. 20 far as the Feds are con-
earned. for 1t would take many years
TO build up eight teams from minor
league material, and in the meantime
the Feds would be losing a lot nj
popularity and money
The old National League llas had
its share OF baseball wars. The first
baseball war of note was when Lucas,
the st. Louis baseball fan, decided
that the old notional and American
02DOCinf1Ou WAS IiiIkkiI9 tHl4ittE tob
much money, so he organized a league
of hts own. He went at II right.
and before the moguls OF tho two
leagues knew what he was doing he
had signed several baseball stars, /.
At that time there were not go
many angels to pluck as there are
now: consequently, Lucas, before he
finished, had lost fortune, for he had
to practically support the entire
league.
The Union League, as Lucas wanted
1t known, died q natural death after
struggle for year or SO,
The next uprising came when the
players formed a brotherhood aud
wanted to be their own bosses. They
succeeded in getting a lot or capital
fnterester and had no trouble getting
the best players available in those
days. This movement almost wrecked
the old league in 1890. and did event
uAlly cause the death OF the old Amer.
loan Association. But at the end OF
one year the Players League sue
cumbed.
There was nothing TO bother the
old league until the present Agueri-
can league got ideas of expanding.
The war which rssuitrtt tas.r-t hut
two years and then peace Ns-s made,
and the two have been operating an
der an agreement ever since.
In 1905 the Tri-State League broke
away from organized baseball. but II
did not last long, because Il tried to
pay major league salaries With
minor league circuit,
IL must be admitted, however. that
the present Federal League, which
has been in existence for the past
two years has caused more money 20
N lost than any Of the other wars
which the game has experienced. This
because of the fact thai salaries were
at a high mark when the Feds broke
in and forced the clnbowners 10 60
still higher. which made Il Impossible
to make both ends meet.
But the Feds hardly sta nd any bet
ter chance thar did their predecessors
in an effort 10 fight organized base
bail, though there may in due ,srne
be a chance to come into the organized
fold.