Show HEARING THE END W I Harris Says the Baseball War is Nearly Over THE PLAYERS LEAGUE PLIGHT 7ho Indications are That it is the Under Dog in the Flzht The Association and the League At this writing the baseball legislators of both leagues are in session in Xew York and by the time this letter appears in print one of two things will have been accomplished accom-plished either the Players league will have been wiped out altogether or it will have been reduced to the position of a minor or 1 ganzat ion with anything but a cheerful prospect before it The indications are that when the bell rings for 1891 there will be no such thins as a Players league This will be brought about by consolidation or freeze out or by amalgamation with the American association As it stands now New York Pittsburg and Chicago are irrevocably lost to the Players league Brooklyn willbe by the time this letter sees the light at least so far as the present Players League club is concerned and with the elimination of Brooklyn will follow Cincinnati as the National league would then control the stock of theclub and would then enable it to make satisfactory terms with the Brush Kilgour syndicate which controls the Cincinnati Cin-cinnati National league franchise This would leave Boston Cleveland and Philadelphia Phila-delphia out in the cold and the first two if they would give up the fight might save something out of the general wreck I As for Philadelphia the chances are that the Wagner brothers can get out whole by sliding gracefully into the American association asso-ciation This is the programme of the National league leaders at this time and their belief as to what will be the final outcome Addison of Chicago as J Earle Wagner puts it has been paid to get off the earth and the Boston and Cleveland Players League clubs will be offered the same terms only not so liberal compara 1 < 1 It is not to be expected that the Boston I people will submit without a fight or the Wagners either They have laid down a plan for a vigorous one The National league men declare that it is a bluff but ii it is it is certainly a good one and in the language of the street they may getaway with it The scheme of the remnant ol the Players league looks well on paper Boston Philadelphia and Cleveland they have sure Boston promises to put up 550 000 to see the league through theseason Mr Prince the new president of the organization organiza-tion professes to have discovered a legal way i to force the Chicago club to remain in the league by injunction proceedings and the league claims to have on hand and it undoubtedly un-doubtedly has a proposition from new capitalists cap-italists in Brooklyn either to buy out the present disgusted capitalists or to start an entirely new club provided that Ward is able to hold his team together and deliver de-liver it intact They also claim to have an application from another city for a franchise fran-chise This is thought to be Washington or Detroit Mr Prince is very enthusiastic and asserts as-serts that there is no doubt whatever that the League can prevent Mr Addison from completing his deal with Mr Spalding and force him by legal means and the cash they are prepared to put up to continue in the fold Mr Prince hopes to reorganize the Players league with eight good clubs and to continue in business next year upon nearly the same lines as in 1S90 The National league men laugh at these assertions which they say are merely made to secure better terms for Cleveland Boston and Philadelphia They are not in the least orried by the threat of legal proceedings pro-ceedings and are serenely confident that the Players league is almost a complete i wreck These are the indications as I write 1 I but in spite of outward bluffs by both sides I negotiations are still progressing in one shape and another and it would not bet be-t if the situation of affairs should be entirely changed almost before this letter let-ter is put into type I One thing seems certain and that is that even if the Players league can be held together I to-gether its prestige will be gone as n major league and it is equally certain that its fair prospects have been frittered away by I stupid blunders on the part of men who thought that they could play winter baseball base-ball with Al Spalding Charley Byrne and John B Day While the result was inevitable inev-itable it is certain that had the Players league men acted wisely and courageously they could at least have secured better terms for themselves than they have done As it is it looks like ignominious defeat The American association next year will probably consist of Columbus Louisville Toledo and St Louis in the west with Philadelphia Wagners club Baltimore Washington and either Rochester or Boston Bos-ton probably the formerin the east This would be a good strong circuit and one that should prove a paying one with a twentyfive cent tariff The National league will consist of New York Brooklyn Philadelphia and Boston in the east and the western clubs will be Pittsburg Cincinnati Chicago and Cleveland Cleve-land None of these clubs will Lave any opposition except in Philadelphia unless in the always possible but improbable resuscitation re-suscitation of the Players league and that opposition even if it should come would only be strong in Boston I Collectively it would amount to nothing 1 even if the Players league should be able to hold all of its star players which is not probable At least onethird of the players i play-ers have salary due them on last season or rather have arrears that cannot be collected y under their contracts and it is not likely I that many of them will be found who will be willing to take chances on another such season as last if they are able to make any terms with the National league Itis safe to say that organization will get back all of its old men that it cares to have It is a matter for congratulation for every true supporter of the great national game that peace has beensecured and that next season we shall have restored that local pride that creates deep interest and that we shall once more have a national championship Under these conditions baseball will again step to the front of all sports where for its fascination and its E unimpeached honesty it will once more resume the sway vhich it deserves to im It M 1 pose and which has been for the last year under a cloud which now that it has been lifted will make its silver lining all the I brighter W I HARRIS |