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Show H IS BALL PLAYER SLAVE? M The statement that baseball play- M ers aro slaves Is too unsound botli in B fact nnd tlicory to merit serious at- M tcutton Tho nationnl game lias B worked steadfastly nnd sincerely for U the best interests of all concerned, JH nnd tlio wolfnro of tbe individual. U so far as circumstances would pcr- PH Jul t. lins been catered to in every nar- JH tlcular The large salnries which U successful players have received Is H too well known to. need emphasis HI here, and is Sn itself a sufficient do- Jh nlal of tbe charge thai baseball play- HI ors arc slaves. To nnyone who has U been in a position to know, the niiin- U herless demands for. entrance into U the ranks of the big league players U rhow a striking desire on the part of H many leading athletes to become en- H slaved, if the lot of the big league U player is slavery. It goes without Uj saying that almost with no c.vccp- H tions Hie big league player Is mnk- H Ing more money in his profession U than In any other business open to U him, and that on tho whole, major league players hao cause to be sat- H isfied with their salaries, says a writ- H or in the Baseball Magazine for Inly. Tho remarks made above concerning concern-ing tho people who organize leagues of their own apart from tbe present well-founded system of professional bail clubs does not of qonrse. bear at all upon tho probable- success of such ventures. I liave said that the opportunity op-portunity Is open to nil. but it by no means follows that all such attempts would be crowned with great success The organization or a new lcasuc Is one or the most difficult proceedings and requires In ndditlon to great ex-ocutho ex-ocutho ability unlimited hard work and almost unlimited capltil The phrase originated by a distinguished American to the effocl that "you cannot transfer the fruits of Industry to the lap of Indolence" holds good In attempting to engage in baseball as a means of livelihood In other words. Invidious and disgruntled persons per-sons who have failed in their efforts to enlist capital In a new baseball venture cannot hope to destroy or tear down" the property rights nnd invested interests of more successful success-ful persons, purely as an act of reprisal, re-prisal, as was recently attempted by those unable to engage successfully in baseball as a business. |