The Washington times., 1930-03-22

do these things. If it is indeed
a sport and If there is sentiment
and public clamor and civic pride
in baseball, a man Of Johnson's
sterling character and reputation
should have been kept here in
the capacity Of a coach or assist
ant manager or any of the many
berths baseball can find for its
idols.
So, the owners of ball clubs,
you will usually find, are making
the game support itself and are
not looking at the games heroes
twice where it means a wallop in
the wallet.
Therefore, I see no reason for
condemning the Goose for trying
to outsmart a man who would
gladly outsmart the Goose. I be-
lieve Clark Griffith, too, is grossly
misunderstood in his dealings
with his players. Mr.. Griffith,
within my own hearing and in
letters to me from the public, and
no doubt within his own hearing
and in letters to him from the
public, has been branded as an
ECONOMIST.
I do NOT believe Clark
Griffith is the type of man
who sends his pipe cleaners
to the laundry. He is an
astute business man, but in
his personal habits / know
of none more liberal.
At no time, for instance, in the
Goslin controversy, have you
heard Mr.. Griffith say he couldn't
AFFORD to pay GoSlin more
salary than has been offered, for
Mr.. Griffith believes he has Of.
fered the Goose all he is worth,
and besides. a ball club which
only last October purchased the
real estate, franchise and hold.
ings of the Chattanooga, South
ern Association, club as a farm,
can't plead poverty in the spring
when its players hold out.
Without wishing to be baseball
bolShevistic, I have little patience
with an enormous industry which
poses under the guise of sport,
but which tells a man he MUST
play for a CERTAIN club at ANY
-
him OR BE PROHIBITED from
playing elsewhere in organized
baseball.
This amounts to keeping a man
from making his bread and butter
in his chosen calling unless he is
willing to make bread and butter
alone at a certain employers
terms. He is not allowed to go
out and make cake and ice cream
wages on another club which
might be willing to pay him cake
and ice cream money-provided
all the clubs wern't tied up in an
agreement not to bid for the
services Of each others players.
Detroit has indicated it would
like Goslin. Detroit knows Cos
lin is holding out for more than
$4,000 and is apparently willing
to go him much better than that
in addition to buying his contract
from Griffith; but no, Griffith
says GoSlin will play for him or
not at all. Is it any wonder
many smart minds have pro-
nounced baseball as being moth
ing short of slavery and bondage?
Is 1t any wonder baseball
has set up its own executive
and judiciary machinery in
Judge Lands, who has author
rity to settle all disputes
finally and without protest?
Would such laws and such
cOntractual relations hold
five seconds in any civil
court?
Since baseball is a harsh Sc
we're taSkmaster, in so far as its
relations with the men who sweat
in it's behalf are concerned, the
sentimental side of the Goslin-
Griffith quarrel has little place
In the argument, for one man
here is merely trying to out,money
the other and I suggest we leave
the matter to them. Neither
needs anybody's sympathy. Each
can stand on his own actions.
There is one phase of the situa,
ton which I believe requires some
explanation from President Clark
Griffith. The town has been
regaled with a story that Goslin
and Manager Walter johnson do
not hit it up, as it were, and
Clark Griffith. in a formal state
ment over his own signature at
Biloxi, Miss, a week ago. last
Saturday, declared the Goose must
clear up this allegation before
he will be allowed to sign for
The yarn of the alleged Goslin.
Johnson feud, was printed in a
Washington newspaper on the aft.
ernoon Of March 4 and denied in
the paragraph following the onP
Continued on Page II, Col. y
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