El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-10-20

N nors 'S.N Months oa ago 3Sf- 1 eoi-
L umu was invei=hing against the
National league. and coutending that
; it would eventually work 10 the in
jury OF the ancient organization. ours
was one of the few voices squawking
boz the wilderness. and we were in
formed by AT least one baseball au-
/ thority OF more or less weight that it
was none or our business. ANYWAY
. thar it was an unwarranted meddling
Odd the private affairs of the baseball
magnates.
They We're ON economy bent. also
they thought they We're tatSiue "A crack
at the baseball players by cutting down
the field of big league employment
further than that. they believed they
We're curtailing the activities of John
-- MclTraW and the New York club.
whose custom IL was TO carry q big
reserve force OF youngsters on the
bench in process of big league devel-
Opmeur-
The economical maguates argued that
oy putting on PLAYER limit the young
talent would be distributed around
among the clubs that Were weaker
financially $ well as physically. and
not sewed up 10y the outfits with the
larger bank rolls. thus giving better
pa lanced race They said that i men
were more than enough and pointed
fuss won "a pennant with only IS play
as reckoning not on the changing
times and advancing conditions i'm base
bail
They Forgot Ban
Like wise. they reckoned not ON Ban
3. Johnson and the American league
They thought Ban would follow their
example and enforce "a PLAYER limit.
but up 10 date Ban has done nothing
Of the kind. and today the National
-eaEuers, seeking AN excuse for the al
most total eclipse OF the old OrganiZa-
ton in playing strength hv the Amer
can league. are saying the limit Is tine
cause.
We do not agree with that view.
The limit Is merely one OF the causes
There are numerous others. In is
case Of dry ROT setting in all along the
line Of going backward instead or go
ing forward. Of carrying ball players
old beyond their big league time aud
or extending economy beyond the
bounds of good business Judgment
One OF the biggest clubs in the VA
Ecnal league. which formerly had the
most perfect scouting system of them
all has practically abandoned that sys-
tenn once DO used To- brin. from - to
81 young ball players collected through
its scouts up from the sticks" every
SPRING this year 10 has tagged only
very few. and these were secured i'm "a
haphazard way.
Several other National league clubs
no longer have scouts While every
tail end Athletics. has an elaborate sys-
tenn OF beating the bushes for young
sters- the National leaguers are de
pending on friendly tips. trades and
accident 10 secure their playing ma
teriaL IL cannot Dee done that way
The Crafty Johnson
There lave been many changes iu
ownership in both leagues Of recent
years. and today no more old line base
ball men are left in the American than
iu the National The difference seems
TO be that the newcomers To the Ameri-
can are willing 10 be guided by the
judgement OF their baseball associates
while some Of the newcomers TO the
National want TO apply methods learned
iu other lines to baseball.
The American has the advantage OF
being guided by the shrewdest and
most FAR seeing man in the game in
the person of Ban T. johnson. who is
az once baseball politician and clair
voTaur
The most recent demonstration IF
Ban Johuson's baseball foresight is his