Sunday Chicago bee. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1925-19??, 1938-05-01
Scribe Sees Poor Salaries for Players as
Bane to Good Performance on Field

Of their own in the matter Of en-
ployment as do business men of
other groups-if not more SO. The
Negro employer realizes that his
race is economically handicapped;
that no matter how skilled an
individual Negro may be, he can
not sell this skill to the whites
except in rare instances.
That handicap places the Negro
artisan, the Negro professional,
the Negro baseball player in a
position where he is forced to
sell his labor and his skill for a
mere song-and this song is usu-
ally without rhythm, especially if
he is dealing with a Negro en-
ployer. And the irony of it all,
the Negro baseball magnate, just
as does the Negro business man
in other fields of endeavor, is al
ways ready to pat himself on the
back and, in the most grandilo-
quent manner, pra sc himself for
offering opportunity to men to
earn iving!"
MUST LOOK UP
Negro baseball il1oguls must get
out Of the valleys. They must
look up to the hills from whence
cometh strength. And, like the
traveller trudging along the road
through the valleys, look longing
ly at the hill and anticipate the
joy that will be his when he at
ia rs the distant eminence.
That means, of course, that Ne
gro baseball magnates must be
willing to make sacrifices-to take
up the burden which they are
placing upon the players by re-
quiring them to work for pau
pers' dole. Only when they take
upon their own shoulders the
heavy load of making Negro pro-
fessional baseball attractive, not
only to the fans, but also to the
men who make up the teams may
they expect a permanent institu-
II5tion assured Of prosperity and
continuity.
i There's a great big difference
between a we'll satisfied workman
and one who works simply be-
cause he feels that it is a matter
Of life and death with him. The
under-paid employee, while he
may do his best under the cir
cumStances, cannot do his real
best, because he forever feels
that he is nothing more than a
quasi slave.
That may be the reason why
we have so much squabbling in
games by players of the Negro
leagues. The players are as dry
finder, ready to ignite at the
least spark of disgruntlement. A
decision of the umpire, a bad play
by teammate, or razz from an
over-zealous and not too urbane
fan-all these things are sparks
that serve to ignite the finder
that has been sunbaked by the
ever-present knowledge that the
player is poorly paid.
This is a condition or situation
without rhyme or reason. The
moguls can and must do better by
their players. If they find they
really can do no better, then they |
should quit. At that the players
would be little worse off, even
though idle. And it is quite GER
tain that a field would open up to
them offering a greater harvest
as a reward for their labor.
LET'S ALL PULL TOGETHER
What 1 have written I have
written. The surest way to build
a strong house is to lay first,
firm foundation. Negro profess
sional baseball is a structure in
the building. We want a strong
structure that will endure. To
have this, we must begin to build
it up from the foundation-and
that foundation is the men who
make up the various league
teams.
If we have well-paid, and
therefore, satisfied players, we
are sure to have games well
worth the admission price we
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