The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-01-18
HUSTON EXPLAINS
PLANS OF OWNERS
TO BREAK STRIKE

New York, Jan. 1S--eA strike is a
calamity said Captain Huston, the
Yankee owner, yesterday; "but there
ball players will not strike"
81 have no quarrel with unions"
continued the captain, who, with Col.
RUPERT, owns the American league
club. 81 have been associated with
union labor for many years, and our
relations always have been lhost
pleasant. In all my business career /
have fought to the last ditch to avert
strikes. A strike is a terrible thing.
LIDO not believe if Mr.. Fultz realized
the seriousness of it or ever had been
connected with a strike that he would
be willing to assume the RESPONSE
bility of bringing such a thing about.
mo man with a conscience can
make himself responsible for a strike
without preparing for nerve-racking
days and sleepless nights In case of
an unsuccessful strike the leader Is
Justly or unjustly banned, and such a
strike as this could not succeed. 1t
would fall of its own wight. 1 firmly
but if the players actually should go
out without any just grievance, as
they would, there are numberless
ways in which the club owners could
protect themselves and their invest
ments.''
The captain declined to state what
measures he and his associates would
take to combat a strike. Put your,
self in our place and use your com
mon sense and Imagination he said.
ut is easy to guess one plan which
Ut least would be considered by those
with their money invested in the
game. Men connected with the fra
tsrnity have said openly that the
overhead expenses on the huge base
bal plans with nothing coming in to
offset them would be more of a drain
than the club owners could bear. The
problem of the latter, therefore,
would be to cut down all possible
overhead expense and at the same
time to take in some money at the
gate while the strikers were going
without their salaries.
They might try to accomplish this
In the first place by cutting out all
travelling and hotel expenses. The
Baseball parks would be turned into
a huge system of training camps The
owners would make no attempt to
persuade any of the high priced men
to come back into the fold. They
would scour the country for. young
STEERS who could hes igned at salaries
ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. These
youngsters go to the Southern train
Ing camps now, but the, managers
have little time to spend in attempt
Ing to deveop them. T
Each leadersis looking for some
player to bolster up, one or two par
ticular weak spots on his team. Lack
Of time and the player limit prevents
hint from making any real attempt
to develop the, boys who show signs
of needing further seasoning. He,
sends them to others to have the
rough corners ground. If managers
such as Fielder Jones or John Nc
4Graw or George Stallings coud de-
vote whole season to coaching these
youngsters it would do more for them
than a couple of years experience in
the minors. New stars would be de-
ve1oped. Connie Mack always has
been partial to this system.
Having thus recruited teams the
leagues would not attempt to play
out their regular schedules but would
pay two or three double headers a
week with their nearest rivals.
The St. Louis Browns would play
the st. Louis Cardinals. The Boston
Braves would play the Boston Red
Sox. The Chicago CUBS would play
the White Sox. The Phillies would
play the Athletics and Washington.
The Giants would play the Yankees
and Brooklyn. Cleveland would play
Pittsburgh. Dates would be filed IN
with college teams and semi-profes-
sional and amateur mines.