Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 168: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

IZZY KAPLAN’S KOLUMN Received via W. O. McGEEHAN THE BASEBALL PASTERS’ UNION union on account the magnets which owns the clubs ain’t treating them right and they got a lot of griefinces. Every- body has got-a lot of griefinces these days. I got something to > holler about myseluf the way my business is. going and the way the customers won’t pay up. Personally I nefer choined no union on account all of my people has been in business for themselufs, except maybe a few loafers among my relations who ectually woiked for wages. But [ ain’t saying much about the bleck sheeps of the femily, and I don’t like to rettle the skelingtons in the dumb-waiter, which they have those skelingtons in efery femily. Maybe the players has a kick coming. Take the case of that Baby Ruthstein, which he is only getting now about seventy-five thousand dollars a year and found during the base- balling season when business is good. When they gave it to him he was the champeen baseballer for making it run homes, and he said from the start it wasn’t enough. I ain’t talked much to none of the players yet, but I guess this will be one of the foist hollers that the wage scales is too low and that a hundred thousand dollars for the season should be the minimump. The minimump means the least a feller should get. Per- sonally I would never take the minimump of anything. Of course none of the baseballers has mentioned anything about this yet, but I know that where there is a union it is on account the fellers which they are choining it wants more celery. Fellers which is getting celeries is always wanting them raised like them two loafers which they are woiking for me. I would laugh out loud when I say ‘“ woiking ” only it ain’t no choke when you have to pay them off efery Seturday night yourseluf. When the shoes is on somebody else’s feet it is a difference. Living conditions is another thing which unions is always hollering about. I been inwestigating the living conditions from the baseballers, and they are pretty rotten. They are all the time treveling around the country in them Pullmanstein cars, and some of the new beginners which is chust. loining the business hast to sleep in upper births. Three times a day they got to pick their own meals from the hotel bills of fare, and if they miss a meal the meneger sends the club doctor to see what is the metter with them. Of course it ain’t often that a baseballer misses a meal on account he knows it would make the meneger start an inwestigation. ‘ AM reading in the poipers that the baseballers is forming a 638 Gomichbooksreom