Show I Municipal Baseball Baseball Solve Vexatious Problems of r National Game Came Magazine Writer Asserts l I That Thai True Sportsmanship P W Would auld Be Served The 11 day a of ot the great c t privately private owned clubs Is ts drawing to toa close and anda a will one of ot thc those e days dars be run on the municipal ownership plan accor accord accord- lIn l- l In Ins to Fortuna Magazine which T discusses dis dis- discusses cusses cues the problem of baseball finance from an n interesting lIn viewpoint Municipal baseball is defined noo b by this magazine as the logical and Inevitable solution ot of Ue the Irca great baseball problem Another war Is JR waging It Is 16 a a. a war waro o of private pocketbooks Columns In the dally lIy papers are arc given over o to accounts of tho the attendance at this and that ball ballparks ballparks parks In cities where there thero Is rivalry rl All MI ti tho tiro J financial strength of ot or organized organize to so o called Is be being In used to crush crusha a a. new rival for the dollars dollars of the people Spies ore employed to han hang about the t turnstiles of the now new organizations organization's parks and keep p count of the number of oC paid spectators and of or tho the paper as passes in III the n aggregate are arc termed The notion obtains among the men engaged engaged en en- In this war of extermination for for that Is what it is intended t to bo that thal that the tho fans meaning fans meaning the tho public public arc arc rc tremendously tre- tre Interested as 35 to whether this clu b or that t. t club owner In sonic some particular r city should set get the monc money The rho ramifications of ot this Idea aro are In Infinite infinite In in- finite In one major league city last year yeara a boycott bocott was wag established against an im- im popular ball team because its Itu oWn owners rs was wat heartily disliked At a recent meeting of the big men In orsan Ii b baseball 1 aJ wine wane WAS opened and anda nd a n grand c celebration held on OD the strength of ot reports leports from agents agent hired to watch the gates cates of ot the enemy that lh the now new league would lose a half million dollars this season Tho The owner n nf of a major league club vis- vis 15 i tUn ting to In another city received this telegram telegram tele tele- gram from his secretary the tho other afternoon afternoon aft aft- 78 is 34 Feds attendance ours t Upon pon the tho receipt of which tho the major league club o owner oner called his his friends In the hotel to together and S' S gave Se e a little 1 dinner The next days daya papers confirmed mel these figures But Dut the tho reports of ot the tho two battles battler showed that the tho seventy eight spectators saw sat a much better gamo sarno than did tho 37 31 I IS Although paradoxically baseball bJ pros pro prospers prospers pers pens In dull GUn dull seasons seasons the tho explanation of or course being beina that men having little business busl busi ness at their offices h have vo plenty pIer of time timeto to go co to the games the thc the present season sason Is 15 admitted to have been a n disastrous one ona for tor the h nn national game ame It is b said lh that t tor of or the sixteen clubs In the major leagues cs ar are actually losing money Tho The answer Is apparent The people arc are sick and tired of ot tho the wrangles be between between bt- bt tween the club dub owners The They are we u weary o of this constant warfare over players of ot the appeals to the tho courts of or fu the Jumping of players aro from rom one ono league to another mothe of tt lie constant te efforts of or the e sordid club own owners to keep kelp themselves and their financial troubles before the public What tho the people want ant Is baseball II as the rand old same game Is exemplified out outon outon outon on the green n diamond They Ther want to IH M ee games between Jn teams fighting for some pome other purpose than limn to put a l few dollars In the tho purse of this or that man who T ho happens to be the owner of the these o human chattels Municipal owner ownership rn tn baseball offers a complete and popular euro cure for all aU these Jl ula And municipal ownership In baseball ball Is la coming In ever every bl big bis city in the country the tho th men lOen at the head of affairs now an r much attention to the e health 11 as and recreation re of f the people as thc they 3 arc to civic Improvements se sums of Immense sums of mone money 3 arc being voted oled into tho the bud budget ret each year ar to pro pro- yule ld amusements for or tho the people ppe What t more logical th than n n a great t hh l or of ot municipally owned club t league ball teams In these days dO of tremendous appropriations lion for tor fla playgrounds recreation tion l places aces and amateur ball parks narke what t taxpayer taxpayer tax tax- x payer would protest t lt the voting of or for tho establishment establish establish- establishment ment of a 11 great mu municipal i l ball all p plant with it or n K stand or 75 people un a beautiful park on w which could be fought out the royal battlos between tween the tho cities In tho the league Between the titles cities did l we say fa Exactly Ex- Ex f sp Emphatically so 50 F For r In such a I ue when n Cle Cleveland land beat Detroit It would bo be a victory for tor Cleveland over oer a rival rhal city if Mot not a trl a Do triumph tri tn of the nod et book of or Mr r. r Somers nook over r the purse o of f Ur Mr r. r The Tho organization and maintenance p. p of f fa such a league Imol no o very difficult I Ion niH The Tho n proposition ro could ut be bl worked orl oo out I la In D t tow days daya by a it fc few rei v men whose hearts wore were devoted dc to the task of lifting baseball professional baseball professional base base- ball out ball out of the tho slough of despond into which It has haa fallen To free the tho bolt best loved love game In is the world from rota the sordidness s that now threatens to strangle and kill It Is 13 a ta task k worth worthy the ambition of ot any man That a league of or municipally owned ball teams professional teams professional l ball teams teams- would bo ho successful financially Il even en though h the prices of or aU mission were pl placed ced far beJo below those thosa now charged at the major league league parks can scarcely be doubted Civic lc pride would wheedle thousands of or people within the gates gales who vho formerly merly were fans but who ho have havo grown disgusted ted with many of ot the things s that today obtain In fn professional proCessIonal bl baseball In such a league there would be no buying and telling selling o of players There Thero would woud bo be no suggestion of ot tho the practical slavery that comes with almost every baseball deal nowadays There Thero would beno be beno beno no Jumping of or contracts with their attendant at- at scandals There would b bo be none of those wordy and tiresome omo wars between between between be be- tween the nu magnates ates There would woud be beno beno e eno admission Sundays Sundays Sundays Sun Sun- no raising raisInS of prices Ices on days and holidays There Thero would be no cheap and uncomfortable bleachers or If H bleachers there w Were re they would not net bo be thrust out into nn an ob obscure part of the tho park In an nn effort to drive tho fans aus Into the high hleb priced scats Score cards would be free froe or at tho tile most would sell for tor a penny penn refreshments would b be furnished at about half haIr the tho prices charged today But tho the best reason for believing ln that such a league would be a 1 success Is found In to the tho tremendous Interest that attended the Intercity ity games sames for the amateur championship last fall The crowds were enormous and the enthusiasm was great great- greater er Or than that attending any games ames ever played b before rore privately owned ball clubs It will be remembered that on one lIa day dav last summer In to Clev Cleveland land places of or business business bustness busi bust ness on the th west side were closed dosed while people struggled Jed to see a n game ramo amo for the championship of that sl side le of the river dyer The Tho problem of sec class high-class players for such a league Is the one that should c cause use the least worry of all Theland Theland The Tho Tholand land abounds In good ball players e There Thero never was or organized a baseball let league o when there thero did not come forward orwar good players to fill the roster of or every even club lub many times over On the tho municipal diamonds of every city in tho land land e c cr cry bl big hI r city m may city may y bo be seen every e Saturday Saturday Satur Satur- day and Sunday Sunda young roun men who could jump Jumo rl right ht Into tho the bt WT r and hold their own own future future Wagners and C Cobbs bb That the tho day lo to coming when privately owned ball clubs will IJ be toe unknown no one who watches the present trend o of cv events can doubt It Is s nn not tho the e c coming ng Into the field deli of a new professional teague ue that has caused the present depression Inba in ba baseball affairs It Is 13 the tho warring club owners the bu buying and selling of pIa players play play- ors ers O as If It they thoy wore were so IO many many sheen and a thousand and onn onA other a evils Is of or the o owned hall ball club duh s system tem What pen can describe the enthusiasm that would attend a n series of ot games between between be re- tween two tt two municipally owned teams for hn championship at nt the cn end of a season nn Suppose the tho elfish clash were n those hated rivals of or old Cleveland and Pittsburg Pitts- Pitts burg Victory would mean menn a for a n city not cIty not a Q piece of to float over or somebody's private ball ban nark How Howman man many of the people of ot Cleveland or would bo be at their homos homo on the th days das those these games frames were cre Stands Stand hl Ms big enough to seat feat eat i 75 OtlO Old did we wo say fC a Why even such u n stand tand would woul be bo Jammed jamm o to the rafters before 10 o'clock In the mornine every day of or thc final series But Dut admitting that a 1 y owned league Jo of ot ball clubs did not prove pro a financial success That would not be I the lie real roal t purpose e o of the or lion What t Mg lug city could 1 not well afford af Af- pr- pr fort ford to c- c expend pend a 0 few thO JF thousands of dollars dollars dol dol- lars lors In putting professional I ha hael oKill hark harkon on Iho tho high plane from which It hn has haM he harm in tumbled by greed and ncsa ues |