Norwich bulletin., 1917-11-23
MINOR LEAGUES FACE
 SERIOUS OUTLOOK NEXT YEAR
Meeting at Louisville Failed to Throw
 Any Light on Situation.


 The annual meeting of the National association in Louisville appears to have been quite bust" The end of the conference found minor league conditions in no wise improved from the chaos that prevailed throughout last season and which forced a num- her of the smaller minor organizations to suspend.
 In the proposed plan for redistribu- tion of mirror league territory, which was voted down, to ?, the great ma :Ority of the humber circuits saw the possibility of light ahead. With this hope gone there seems little to be done in their case but to close shop during the period of the war at least.
 These little minor leagues believed with the two majors and a certain few others of higher classification that ter ritorial ,.etrenchment was absolutely necessary for the life of minor league baseball as a whole. Unfortunately they lacked proper representation on the national beard to focce respect for their wishes.
 The voting powers of the board were largely confined to Class A and Class A and Class 12 circIits and personal prejudice, CT fear of these defeated and ren,orf resolution. They saw be- h:'1 the amendment an unusually large territorial eluEtiJ for such an amend mcnt would have left an opening for the proposed merger of the strongest clubs of the American association and International league into a new, pear ma jor circuit.
 Whether or not the Union league would have solved the present difficult ties of the two most prominent Class A organizations, the fact remains that the defeat of the proposition for territoria. redistribution is likely to crush the life out of the little opera tors. The closing of this field will af- feet the more prominent minors just as major league baseball will be af- fected by all minor league depressions.
 It seems doubtful. indeed, whether to operate next season. Four of the clubs are pretty thoroughly discour- aged over present conditions. These were willing to step aside for their conferes to join hands with the. Amer ican association It was those Asso- ciated clubs which were to be left out in the cold that baked the plan.
 For very apparent reasons the ma jor leagues can ill afford to see any of the more prominent minor associations determined upon a common policy of retrenchment- This applies to salary expenses as well as schedules. The major leagues today are pretty well to rigid roster limit will require the placing of an unusual number of ath- letes in slower company. The fewer the minor league clubs that operate
 
 Furthermore, major league baseball in the end must suffer approximately with the minor conditions. The Ma tionaI and American could not long maintain their high standards of play if new material were not being ed- ucated- The present stars have but limited course to run. Once the big fellows lose the clas6 which distin- guishes them from the bushers, just so soon will the public resent an inferior article of play at major league prices.
 Some SO major league players are already enrolled in war service. The number is likely to be doubled or treb- led by spring. This circumstance may help to solve the roster problem of the big fellows to. degree. but only mi nor activities can develop fitting sub stitutes. Unless the National Commits sion, acting for the major 1eabues, can influence the National association to display slightly more sentiment toward the obscure minor leagues organized baseball throughout is bound to suffer-