The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-08
Grand Jury Makes Public
 Final Report

Chicago, H., November 7.- The special grand jury investi- gating baseball returned yester- day morning its final report, in which, it states, that while evidence was found that some games were thrown by players, yet the practice was not gen. eral, and the leaders in or ganized baseball may be relied upon to keep the game above suspicion.
 The grand jurys report says in part:
 Considering the magnitude of the enterprise and the great umber of ball players engaged we believe a compara- lively small number of the players have been dishonest-we are Eratifled to find players who immediately re- ported to their managers the sugges tions of fixing and, likewise. man. agers who immediately discontinued players who were implicated in at tcmpts to corrupt the game.
 The adoption of this policy as d fixed practice, no matter at what cost, will make impossible a repetition of tie present trouble.
 Evidence was given the jury of an instance during d game played in Chi cago where a certain player on the New York National league baseball club offered another player d bribe If he would throw that particular game. The player to whom the bribe was of- ferred immediately refused to continue pitching the game.
 We earnestly commend the action of this player for his action and the club on the following day in,suspending the player who offered the bribe. In this particular case, and notwithstand ing the reprehensible conduct of the player who offered the bribe, no crime was committed under the present H. linois law. Therefore, no indictment could be rendered. by this grand jury At this point we call attention 10 a law offered by Senator Cummings in May, 1919, making the offering or ac- eepting of bribe, criminal offense. rhe grand jury recommends the pas Sd ge of such a federal statute
 The young player from the minor league or from amateur baseball who enters the major leagues should real ize that he occupies position of trust and has entered upon an honorable ca reer, and he must therefore conduct himself in a manner that will mako his occupation one of integrity and high standing. If the game is conduct ec on basis that inspires public con- fdence, young men and boys will be encouraged to play the game more and more. thereby developing in the youth ct the country sound bodies and soun1 minds, and, what is more, sound morals and better citizens.
 The jury is impressed with the fact that baseball is an index to our natural genius. The American principle of merit and fair play must prevail and 1t is aIl-important that the game be cleao, from the most humble player to the highest dignitary. Baseball enthus- iasm and it's hold upon the public must always stand or fall upon this count
 Baseball is more than national game; it is an American institution having it's place prominently and sig nificantly in the life of the people. In the deplorable absence of military training in this country, baseball and other games having team play spirit offer the American youth an agency for development that would be entirely lacking were it relegated to the posi- ton of which horse racing and boxing have fallen. The national game pro- I self-confidence, fair mindedness, judg- ment and self-control.
 ''The jury thinks it advisable to em- phasize in this report the remorse and self-contempt felt by the bribe-takins Players appearing before the grand jury. Their testimony in this connec- ton was entirely voluntary and showed how cheap and petty each player felt and how their loss of self-respect was in no wise compensated by the sums that were accepted"
 Touching on baseball pools, the re- port said thousands of persons are f'eeced every season of hundreds of thousands of dollars each week and that "the pools are almost without ex- ception, conducted by Irresponsible per- sons, who operate without definite system and without any regularity of practice"
 There are 134,572 chances in sea- sens three-league pool, the report says. selling at s1 chance. Out of the $134.-