The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-12-22
MANN
ORCED
AIRING
BY Davis j. walsh

NEW YORK Dec. y. Harry
eiImann. who Is not d league ex.
ecutive. under oath to preserve
honesty, nor $4,000 commission.
e. who Is committed to the same
purpose nor vet disgruntled con-
pirator, but just man ia the
ranks trying to conduct himself Ia
manner consistent with his hon.
or, Is the Individual who forced
basehal's latest scandal to a show
down.
John j. McGraW vouchsafed this
information to the writer today in
proof Of his sincere belief that the
game was and IS fundamenta lly
honest. McGraw would allow no
other construction to be placed upon
basebalI,s position, in spite Of the
sensational disclosures involving ~
cobb and Iris Speaker. hallowed
lois OF young America, and Joe
Wood and Dutch Leonard. first.
class pitchers In their day.
II was LeOnard's confession
that brought the expose into the
light Of day, but behind that
confession is the story OF 9 man
wI1o heId honor and the good
name 0f his profession above
friendship.
Tha man VINO took his unassail
hhIe positfon in the face Of the
Eralzfc consequences he know must
IS suffered by two OF baseball 8
rreat stars was Harry Heilmann,
according to III, Grasw's statement
The story. as MeGraw tells II,
rims something like this:
Leonard. either in spirit q
bravado or beset by the qualms 81
eonscience, confided in Hellmann
he details Of the conspiracy where
~ the players named were to clean
aip on the game Of September So,
1919.
can right said lIeilmaIln very
Earnestly. Now, III tell you ons.
you are to bring that story iefore
Prank Navin not later than ~
o'clock tomorrow morning. Id ad-
tise Won to do this because ! will
be there at 1910, and what he
noesn't know by that time ne VIII
know in five minutes!
Leonard, it seems. took the hint,
Il also would seem that he took
so 900 for his trouble, but neither
WcGraw nor baseball in general
b concerned with that point.
What McGraw, who has seen his
awn men '.go wrong not once but
several times, would like to EN-
Dhasize is that baseball is proving
It's honesty by exposing its cons
spirators ais fast as they bob up
regardless Of their importance.
Even the finest garden must
have it's occasional weed Is the
way McGraw sizes up the situation.
But a good gardener VIII rout out
the weeds as fast as they push
fheir heads into the open, and that
IS exactly what baseball is doing.
"But first you must have proof
that they are actually weeds. sat
on my own bench and writhed In
mental agony as I watched ZiTn-
sherman and Chase do things that
knew We're wrong, but lacked
proof of their honesty, and both
my hands and tongue were tied.
II couldn't have shouted
mere suspicious from the house
tops. could i? If I did, they
would have had me I'm court on
libel proceedings and probably
they would have collected, too.
But as soon as we had definite
proof, we acted.
'The Dolan-O' ConnelI case was
.tast a depIorable faux pas by a
couple Of men who didn't know
any better.
st may be a bromide but l
wish to state my sincere conyic-
ton that these exposes prove base
ball to be really honest. No man
rs big enough to be whitewashed
and no man viii be.
''This thing looks bad now but
don't forget it happened back be.
fore the White Sox scandal and
s5efore the Dolan-O'Connell bust.
ness. The fearless way in which
we prosecuted these cases leaves
no doubt at this time as to the
Tate that awaits men who stray
off the reservation. Before 1919.
scandals were unknown.
To-day. every bah player in the
land realizes just where a misstep
will carry him. I think you have
witnessed your last baseball con-
spiracy."