Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1915 — UMPIRES MAY FORM A TRUST [ARTICLE]

UMPIRES MAY FORM A TRUST

Arbiter* Form Association In Cincinnati—Legal Adviser Secured to Defend Its Members. Don’t you think we fans have been wasting a lot of sympathy on the umpire? When the ball game was on we called him names. Then when we came down to earth again after the excitement was ended we said, “Pity the poor umpire, for he’s only human.” We actually made a hero of the man who judged diamond plays. And now comes the news that the umpires have formed an association in Cincinnati. They do not hide themselves away, glad to get out of the turmoil in which they have been the central figures all summer, but come right out in the open and announce that they are the big men of the game and intend to display their power. . ■ . • —— The idea in Cincinnati appears to be the forming of an umpires’ trust That is, if the Actives and the Alerts want to play a game in the Ohio city, they must go to the Umpires’ association and humbly request the chief mogul to provide one of his indicator holders, says Philadelphia Record. They must guarantee to accept his decisions, pay him regular United States money and otherwise show the deference due him and his blue suit. Worse still, however, have a legal adviser. They do not mention his duties, but we have a suspicion that in the future we spectators are not going to be permitted to heave a cushion or a pop bottle at an ump who attempts to decide plays as he sees them. The legal adviser will hale us into court and, mayhap, Induce a judge to take some money away from us. This is too much! Think of it; arresting and fining a man for assaulting an umpire!