The Washington herald., 1915-12-23
Two Years Fight, Costing NIL
hons of Dollars, Is Now
Only a Memory.
BAN JOHNSON SUPREME
American League Head Not Forced to
Take Initiative international
Circuit In Doubt.
BY ED. cURLEY.,


Cincinnati. ohio. Dec. 2--Peace reisns
in the baseball world. The treaty was
signed this afternoon by the three war
ring parties-the National, American and
Federal Leagues. The long fight that
cost millions. ruined magnates, spoiled
players and crushed interest In the ma
tionaI pastime. is now only q memory.
1t goes without saying that everybody
who had . dollar invested in baseball
is delighted with the change. It was
only a matter Of a year or possibly two
when all baseball would be on the rocks
Of disaster.
As to which side carried OF the victory.
that remains to be seen. The Federals
got what they were after from the start
a chance to break into the big show.
1 They are in, but start OF by carrying
burden Of seventy-two players bound
to iron-clad contracts calling for the pay
ment Of $376.0o0 a year. On the other
hand now that they are sealed within
the sacred circles Of organized ball. II
il admitted on all sides that they could
not have lasted much longer. as they
were beginning to stagger under the
, tremendous losses Of the past two years.
Belligerent though their stand was. no
body Of men would have been 20 fool
hardy to keep on pouring money indefin-
itely into the bottomless sack.
National LeaG.ers Smile.
National League moguls are smiling
blandly trying to convince the world
! that they won. but II they won anything.
It seems to be a glorious defeat They
appear to have been frightened into cap
itulation by the last threat Of the Fed
erals-to put q club In New York.
They may seek revenge by leaving the
Federal magnates with the seyenty-two
ball PLAYERS on their hands. But that
will never win the approval Of their
followers. Time may prove that they were
victorious.
The American League again showed
that Ban johnson stands out As the
leading figure in the baseball circle. The
Car didn't figure In the proceedings
until the National League showed it's
hand. Then, naturally II was compulsory
for his league to follow suit II Gov.
Tener had been a Ban johnson, the
situation probably would be entirely
different now?
Hard to Estimate Toll.
It Is hard to tell Just what the toll
Of the baseball war totals up. The loss
in money can be figured In the millions,
but It Is impossible to estimate the
damage done the game. Club after club
was forced to the wall These are dead
forever; there will be no resurrection.
And when they passed away, armies OF
baseball fans passed away with them
The most important announcement to- |
day was that the players who were en-
rolled by the Federal League clubs are !
all eligible to organized ball. They re-
main the property Of the clubs which
they finished the season with. But the |
Federal clubs are strictly responsible
financially to the players the majority OF
whom have iron-clad contracts. This list
of fortunates totals a Their yearS sal
aries amount to $37S. 900. There are about |
100 Federal players who have the ten
day clause in their contracts. These ath- |
letes have something to worry about
Kansas City and Buffalo having turned |
their franchises to the league, the players |
of those teams become the property OF
the Federal League. The Federals there |
fore will guarantee the salaries OF the |
men under ironclad contracts and the bal |
ance will go into the grab bag. II any |
of the players are sold. the moneD will |
be turned over to the league. President |
Gilmore announced that he had received |
offers for some Of these men. but had not |
disposed Of any Of them.
Harry Sinclair Is reported to have said |
he would guarantee 50 per cent Of the DIFF !
ference, the National Commission to |
make up the balance. That would be |
bitter pill for major league magnates to |
swallow, paying exhorbitant salaries to /
players who kicked over the traces and
hoped to the invaders.
weeghman to Buy Cubs.
II also was announced that Charles
weeghman would obtain control Of the
Cubs and that Phil Ball would purchase
the St Louis Browns. 1t gives Weegh-
whatever good players he has under
contract to his old team, the Whales.
Balls case is Identical
The finale of the big battle was fIttingly
dramatic. For Ed. Barrows. president
Of the International League was the last
to agree to the terms, and in the history
Of the war 1t must be remembered that
Ed Barrows was the first to gird up
his loins and do battle to the invaders
They smote him hip and thigh. and left
many q scar on his league. but he fought
to the last ditch and won.
Barrows insisted that the International
League must get show down in Balti-
more and Buffalo. where Federal teams
played in opposition to his league. The
Federals wanted to cling to these fran
chises, but Barrows was firm. A COM
mittee compromise finally was effected.
by which a committee consisting Of Bar
rows, Ban johnson, Garry Hermann.
John Tener, James Gilmore. and repre-
sentatives Of the Federal clubs In the
cities in question will take UP the mat
ter 1t will report to the National Com
mission at the meeting in January.
No sooner were the terms Of peace
than the majority Of the
magnates packed up and started for
home to spend Christmas. The agree
ment was one Of the most welcome pres
ents Santa Claus could have handed
them. II means q chance to recoup
their fiattened bank rolls and nothing Is
brighter to q magnate than a bulging
wallet.
q w II I0SEa IN NAVY