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Show oo- JOHNSON TO MM FOLTZSPIRM President of American League Says He Will Crowd Dave Fultz Out of Baseball. Chicago, Jan. 20 Ban Johnson, president of the American league, has I annouced that he will make baseball ' circles too hot to hold Dave Fultz, and j that in company with other baseball i magnate he will conduct a Von Hin-denbure Hin-denbure drive against the Baseball Players' Fraternity for their threats to call a strike unless their demands are met before the 1917 baseball season sea-son opens. We never again shall listen to any i proposal he may offer," President Johnson said. "We invite him to cay1'! out his blaft. I personally do not orj: lieve the players .ire back of Fl a) I think he has been using a power to send out statements without authority from the players themselves. The i American league will see that Fultz is crushed, driven out of baseball. "The American league has been fair with Its players and will continue to treat them fairly without the aid of Mr. Fultz." As a start in his offensive movement Johnson slated that John Henry, catcher on the Washington team of! the American league, oould either drop his affiliation with the Players' Fraternity or exit gracefully from the league. If it was the purpose of the Fraternity Fra-ternity to throw a scare into the camp of the magnates, the result is i a complete fiasco. Almost every big man in the managerial end of baseball has signified his intention of going about his business as If nothing had happened. Fultz, on the other hand, seems determined to "start something." some-thing." and states that the fraternity he represents Is solidly behind him. If the war is continued to the stage of actual battle, the baseball fan is going to be the one to decide the ar-' KumenL If the players who have done so much to bring the game to a stage I of huge profits carry out their j threats, the managers will be forced , to substitute inferior material. This j I will mean a poorer game, which, in I turn, will mean a drop-off in attend ance and the consequent dwindling of I profits for the backers. It has been proven before that backers back-ers as a class do not take kindly to a Iobs of nice cold round iron men, which would scom to Indicate that if Davo Fultz and his henchmen are as good at working the "squeeze play" off the diamond as they are when playing the game the magnates will have to climb down and eat crow. Juet at present both sides are doing! a great deal of talking and very little else, but then diplomacy in this age seems to have degenerated Into notes, speeches and hot air, which instead of calming the troubled waters leads to a complete severance of diplomatic relations. This is probably Just what will happen if the present argument is continued. Tho war 4s on, and may the be8t man win. rr |