The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-20
Fair Enough
By WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1916,
BY King Features Syndicate. Incl

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doubt that the profe ssional ball-players could
be brought together in some similar buad for
mutual proeectlon against the cruel Whims and
rapaclly OF the soulleSS corporations which op-
crate the industry. They toll under some condi-
lions walch moan for redress. Squalor is hard
ly the WORD Tor fhelr state, but their standard
form of contract is unfai1 being a 2O-year en-
listmeat on the players part from the date of
his first agreement but subject to cancellation
on 10 days notice by the employers when an
arm goes lame or the eyes grow dim. and al
ways on the boss's terms.
Two such attempts have been made in the
past, the brotherhood Of ancient times. which
started as a players fraternity and went into
business as a league, employing it's own mem
bers, and a feeble thing that came to life as a
protest against the undcrpayment of the cor
rupt White Sox of 1919, uttered a few faint
cries and was no more.
The proprletors had the ADVANTAGE of an
emotional pubic opinion in ignoring this lat
ter rebellion. For one thing disregarding the
fact that the greatest ball club to date had
been paid coolie wages by a rich owner. Char
lie Comlskey, Who had bought a wide reputa-
ton for generosity at the expense of a few
drinks, the patrons regarded baseball as an
almost sacred public institution and the play-
ers as priests Of Their cult. In fact, the play
ers who threw the 1919 World Series to the
I'LL 4tSoS I'LL e LII l1lllS lOl. u
outstanding dlligent efforts to send them to
prison, none Of chem was convicted. ALI they
did was conspire III something which may have
been our first industrial showdown. The parties
to the plot simply played bad ball and let the
Reds win tie World Series. They were to have
received brides from Arnold Rothstein. an il
lustrious and well-connected New York thief,
whose agents, when the players were commit
ted, forgot to pay them off.
After tIe expDce tna conSpiratnrc uaro hronJ-
ed and banished forever from baseball as
though they had been traitors to their country.
A young Milwaukee, lawyer named Cannon
then took up their defense and revealed that
these historic stars had received an average
salary of less than So, 900, 1t became plain, too,
that any player aware OF the conspiracy who
had gone to the front office to expose the plot
would have been whispered out of the game
by a conspiracy between the owners as a dan
gerous scanda[monger Mr.. Cannon fought
noisily for his clients and SO, while he never
could win amnesty and reinstatement, he did
establish in the minds Of those Who were will
ing to consider the evidence the fact that the
entire management Of major league baseball
was cynical and greedy and was exploiting
public enthusiasm. He rode to Congress on the
winds he raised in this case.
Dick Kerr, an understood and underpaid Tex
an, who won two games for the White Sox with
most OF his own club against him, asked for
a raise and was refused. He failed to report
for spring training, but called at the clubs
hotel when the Sox passed through Dallas on
their way norta. Lou Comiskey, the owners
son, who was in command Of the team. refus-
ed even to see him. Kerr vanished and this
honest man was forgotten in a week.
The public simply refused to consider the
players side and presently along came Babe
Ruth, golfing home runs over the walls in a
hilarious deception contrived by alteration of
the ball and restrictions on the pitchers, and
Judge K. M. Lands, hired off the federal
bench to guarantee tho honesty of the game
henceforth. The fake World Series faded from
tors became actually historic with a faint COM
parable to Benedict Araold's.
discussion OF the reserve clause and the 10
day clause In the standard players contra eft.
now heard again, Is repetitious. These mat
tiers were argued with fury back in the tWen-
ties not only in print anc on the trains but.
IN some cases, in court where the CORPORATIONS
either won or settled on the side so as to keep
adverse presidents off the books.
The mental quality of the players was i'm
proving meanwhile, and a few young men be-
ing sold for high prices now demanded part of
tne money and, IN some cases, made the own
ers pay. Some others, being secuted in school
found legal advisers who made the clubs paw
their clients bonuses for signing. In effect they
oo0 IiChiSc1VSS, Uu. THESE nave Deen eX-
ceptlons and the relations between player and
management remain about the same.
The problems of bargaining and conditions
OF work are SO complex in detail that I cannot
see over them and comprehend a successful
relationship between players and management
dealing through 9 union, but then, the rela-
tons between actors and producers are COM
plcated IN as many ways and as tempera-
mental and touchy and they have worked on
union terms ever since their great Broadway
strike of 1920 which 50 outraged George M
Conan that he quit the theatre forever ~
roughly, for about two years.
If unionism comes to baseball. and with
Whatever consequences, including the slow
down and sabotage in the throwing of games
according to the now familiar custom of hoes
oaltlng under unlon,sm, the owners will have
some OF themselves to blame. Not all. b,t
enough OF them have been harsh and AFRO
gant, mean in money matters and cornpletelv
ruthless IN Imposing on the youth of great
prayers Such as Dizzy Dean who used himself
up long before his time.
~ course, unlonism will destroy the artistry
eillclency and enthusiasm of the players and
impair the spectacle TO- the customers. But
te unlonlsm of tine last 10 years has had these
e1lects II most industries. The actors, to be
sure nave not let down but then actors are
queer and can't undet-act and, after all. their
trade is lot competitive with one troupe plav-
ing against another. They only try to out-plav
one another. and usually they do.