The Washington times., 1920-10-19

forward. He is yet immersed to his
ears in baseball politics. And so are
his hackers. the five so-cailed loyal
clubs" 1t is impossible for them to
think in anything but the political
terms of baseball.
1--WE want thorough cleaning up"
say the magnates. but where does
this Heydler and the National
Leaguers get of. calling us to a meet
ing? How long have they been run
ming things? If Ban has fallen down
on his job. hasn't Heydler also fallen
down.?
Look at this meeting. 1t has been
suggested by a National League club
stockholder. The other National
League clubs. frightened at being
| caught in this nasty mess-many Of
them-rush to his assistance.
And look at the American Leaguers
in it, the same three who tried and
! failed last winter to get Johnson's
scalp. It's fine business"
MIGHT LOSE HIS POWER.
Undoubtedly Ban Johnson is afraid
! to enter a meeting consisting of eight
National League clubs and three
American League clubs. He knows
| very well that he has no friends
whatever in the National League and
| from his own league are the same
three which sought his official demise
| last winter. He will enter no meet
ing.
over and beyond all this petty
pickering are millions of lovers of
baseball, of the honesty of baseball,
all waiting to see what will happen.
They want first, to know the depth
# the depravity into which the game
haa Fah
know why it was permitted to fall.
Third. they want to see the guilty
men banished from the game, the
players who threw" games and the
leaders who, lost to the bigger things,
so busted themselves with peanut
politics that their heritage was stolen
from beneath their very eyes.
The so-called 'Lasker plan" has
many weaknesses. Maybe it will not
| be adopted. In our own eyes General
Pershing would cut no heroic figure
| trying to conduct pennant race. let
alone a worlds series. Furthermore,
| we think he'd soon see it and quit,
too.
CURE IS VITALLY NEEDED.
But cure for the evils of base
| ball is vtally necessary, IL the pro-
| fessional game is to continue the
| national pastime.
If leaders are to be permitted to
| fool away their time with peanut
politics so that gamblers from with
out may come and tamper with the
honesty of the athletes, the public will
withdraw it's support.
If the fans are to have a doubt rs
| to the honesty of any game at any
| time in the season. the structure VIII
| fall as though a Samson had stirred
is majestic pillars.
1t is our humble belief that the al
| legged leaders are not yet aware Of
the true situation. They cannot be
| aware of the thoughts surging
through the minds of baseball writ
! ers, men whose work has had not
| little to do with the successful prog
ress of the game. once the base
ball writers sour on the situation,
what will become of professional base
ball? They cannot foreshadow the
! action that may be taken by the
great newspapers and news-gathering
| organizations of this country toward
/ their continuance in power, IL those
newspapers and news agencies be-
come convinced that, with them In the
saddle, there is no hope for the fur
ther cleanliness of the game.
Once the newspapers decide that
| baseball like wrestling, can be
fixed" IL will be all over but the
! cheering, or the groaning, as you
| will.
| With the present alleged leaders
! in charge, there can be no guarantee
/ that the scandal of 1919 cannot be
| greater scale.