The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-09-16

Tina men who control crganizrd
baseball. MOTOR and Minor. and their OF
ficials are awake ut last 20 inc Ea''".
ling peril with the WORLDS series w
M every week. they are making dSs,
perate efforts to protect ~" San'e am,
10 remedy the evils which are the result
OF their own negligence.
r developed now that Ban johnson
has had operatives at work MI rms Nut''-
mer striving 10 trace me NHtiu Tet,s re :
rossip Of crooEednesS OF last Fall ana
that this scandal. which seemed over
coated with whitewash. ~ not YET dead
Mr.. Johnson has had II IN his power
for n number Of years 70 make reHs'"
ttors which would have prevented Il
y-ear mart Of the present scandal. HAD
ne been quite frank and Aiu ne given
wide publicity TO events OF SIX or seN 'h
years ago, ne would have tnroWn
Ecare into gamblers and Dali payers
that would have had saLu'apS 49, co.
He MAY have had sufficient reason TOT
Avoiding the publicity. but an ounce
Of prevention would have been for'h
lot OF cure. .., =;
Mr., Johnson has been consistent IN
ons thing: that IS his stern opposition
o. 1amhIinv His motives for lighting
the gamblers in New York ana Boston
haSo been impusned. The motive MAKES
no difference: no tried 10 stamp on.
gambling and all baseball men were not not
n
lisyes honestly that II Is better 10 Keep
the scrrct-but the fact Is mat punt
civ and the widest possible puoiICt'E;
Is necessary. II Is possible that oaI'
somethinE wrong cannot he reformed.
but he can be scared into aEoiGink any
contract with gamblers
Real Activity Now Against Gambling
With q grand Jury in Chicago al Work,
with q newspaper committee inaS'hs an
investigation, with the Cleveland courts
moving, and with tho club owners ousE
al last. there is q chance 81 Srttihs at
the bottom OF some OF the scandals.
am Informed THAI ono OF the Dig
Kest HANDLERS in New York. aIarme"
BY the activity. has ceased cn,'tel\ /"
her on baseball He claims TO BE- abSo-
lu,ely honest in HIS betting. but fears
20 become involved. One OF the largest
OF tho Chicago lsyees quit last year.
The ring which has been cleaning
nm by means OF spreading rumors and
alarms to affect the odds seems 10 be
conferred in Pittsburgh. although ihiS
season much OF ITS activity mas heen
IN Cleveland because or tho interest IN
the Indians night for tho championship.
Incidentally. while we are scoidlng
Tor failure to suppress gambling. there
is beam In our eyes that should Do
cast out. The heaviest betting on oase-
ball Is in runs scored each week. and
n number OF newspapers are making q
The dispatch from Cleveland announc-
ing that some OF the Yanks best players
were killed or injured in an auto wreck
was ono OF the 0oldest OF the moves or
the gamblers. II was ment undoubtedly
TO affect the prices on games that day.
! INQUIRED around New York and can
not find that there was any betting on
this particular occasion to justify any
such move.
Tho significant thing was tho excite
ment IN downtown New York when the
story was spread through tho Wall
Street district. The financial reporters
tell me that there was as much excite
ment on the curb as II some great stock
market crash had come. That would
to indicate that the center OF the beu-
Ing industry on baseball Is at or near
strange situation In New York
There are some acts OF baseball that
puzzle me- For Instance last fall the
name OF q we'll known fellow who ca