The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-04-02

The vicious, unjust and wholly un-
warranted attacks upon Ben Johnson
apparently have ceased; the cry "out
with the car has been stilled And
undoubted it's because those who
cried it loudest suddenly have come to
a full realization Of Johnson's i'm
measurable and immortal value to
baseball.
For nearly 20 years Johnson directed
affairs in the American League alone,
unhampered. Who is there to say that
he didn't do it better than any Iuan
that ever flashed along the baseball
horizon? Through all those years the
American League was a household of
peace and harmony; one which merit
ed the respect and the admiration of
the baseball world.
Johnson's leadership brought the
American League from nothingness to
ranking as the greatest organization
in the entire history of the game; it
brought the standard of baseball play
to it's zenith, made millionaires of mag
mates, boosted players salaries to once
time unbelievable heights. What man
has done more?
johnson Saved Baseball.
It was Johnson who saved baseball
He came into the linelight back in
1900 at a time when ruffianism, rowdy.
ism and riot prevailed on the fields o:
play. The boys didn'd pay much at
tention to scientific baseballing in that
era They we're too busy smuggling each
other, mauling umpires, hooting at
hostile crowds, cursing in the foulest
possible language. Evil passions ran
amuck
No man who respected his mother
wife, sweetheart Or daughter took
them to ball games in those days. He
didn't want their sensibilities shocked
by conduct of the players on the field
and conduct of the crowds in tine
stands-actions Of violence permitted
in those days because ther1 was nc
strong man to fight it to its death.
Then Johnson came-JohnsOn and
his logan:
No more rowdyisr. Clean baseball
at any cost
They scoffed at johnson at first
snickered at him. made fun Of him
They agreed that baseball ought to be
, purified ard redeemed-but they didn''
think it could be done. Johnson smiled
then squared his jaw, gritted his
teeth, and repeated:
Clean baseball-at any cost"
Made Baseball History.
What happened in history-the mos
glorious chapter ever written on the
baseball pages. Johnson, fighting az
no man ever fought before, battling
against tremendous odds. revolution
ICED the game. Almost single handed
he stamped out rowdyism, forced pro
lection of visiting players, forced abso
lutte protection to all-and to dispor
like clean men.
AS a result, the fans began to brins
their women folk and children. to thu
| ball park. A new generation of base
| ball fans and fanettes were created
Attendance increased from a Thousand
or two daily TO a point where $4,000
crowds even in mid-week are no longeI
regarded as anything out of tn.
ordinary.
That's Ban Johnson's accomplish
ment.
Yet a few persons wanted to tos'
| him out of the game which he liftet
from the plaything of hoodlums to thu
| finest, cleanest pastime in the world
Stood For the Right.
The oddly is that Johnson's enc
mics wanted to force his resignation
not because of any wrong which h'
| did but because he stood for what II
| right; because he upheld the law upol
| which the integrity of the game rests
He knew what was right, did VIII at wa!
right fought for what was right-ant