St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-15
BROTHERHOOD PLANS.
Base Ball Players Propose to
Take the Game. Into Their
Own Hands.
They Are Preparing to Gobble
y Grounds, Players, Audi
3 ences and AL
Al Spa1dlng Gets a Quiet Tip,
and Is Hot in the Col
lar.
Money. and Not a Rag, to Be
Played for in Fut.
ure.

Z CHICAGO, Sept. 14.-Hints of various
kinds touching an important move to
be made by the Brotherhood of Base
Ball Players have been published re-
Gently, but none of them have covered
the ground. The Journal this after
noon publishes the following:
1.-THE report that the Brotherhood of
Ball Players intend to take the game
out of the hands of the present owners
of the league clubs seems to have some
foundation. They are preparing to
'goDble' the whole business. grounds,
players, audiences and all. And, what's
more, they don't propose to lose any
time in doing it. The probabilities are
that by the close of the present league
season the plans Of the brotherhood will
be we'll enough matured to warrant
public acknowledged mt Of their in
tentiOns. just at present they are not
giving away any more of the particulars
than they can help. Mr.. Spalding,
however, got quiet tip of what was
going on the other day, and it came in
way calculated to confirm the
RUMoR OF ORGANIZED OPPOSITION.
The Chicago Ball clubs lease OH its
present grounds, at the corner of Con-
gress and Loomis streets, expires this
year. and some time ago Mr.. Spalding
bought site for new park, near the
county hospital. He was given to I'M
derStand by the contractors that they
would have the new grounds ready for
use at the opening games next season,
and, relying upon their promises, he no
titled the owners of the old park that he
would not renew the lease. A few days
ago Mr.. Spalding inspected his new
purchase, and, instead of finding the
carpenters and landscape gardeners at
work, as be expected, saw only a few
lazy teamsters dumping ashes and garb-
age in a seemingly bOttomless hole. MIR.
Spalding was mad. He recognized the
the grounds in shape for the opening
games, and thought he would release
the old park. When he called upon the
owners, however, with that object, he
was given to understand that he was
too late. An option had been taken by
a responsible Chicagoan and he refused
to surrender it. Not only this, but the
gentleman had said that he wanted the
ground to play ball on! And he does.
That gentleman is the agent here of the
brotherhood, and has
WORKED THINGS so WELL
that the Chicago ball club will not only
be without grounds next season, but
without players as well-that is, good
ones. The plan of the brotherhood is to
run the game, so tar as the league cities
are concerned, on sort OF cooperative
basis. If it succeeds then the other
associations may be similarly reOrgan-
lied. 1t is proposed to place the man
agement of the whole affair in the hands
Of general committee of eight, con-
sisting of one representative from each
league club. These clubs will probably
be formed in New York, Boston, Chi
cagO, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Cincin-
natl, Washington and Cleveland or st.
Louis. Each club will have stock cap
ital of ZOO, some of which will be
taken by the players and the rest by the
men who are to act as officers and tinan-
cial hackers. In this city there are al
ready five applicants for every dollars
worth of stock and the scheme has been
only confdeEtially preached to bakers
dozen OF men. One of the largest in
vestorS here is Fred Pfetfer, who has
accumulated ABOUT $4,000, and is in
shape
TO TAKE SOME CHANCES.
Pfeffer, it may be added, will proba-
bly, be manager of the Chicago club UNI
der the new regime. The players are to
receive a small but fair salary and
percentage of the net profits. The re-
ceipts, after all expenses, including the
players salaries and percentages are
paid. are to be put into pool and di-
vided into eight equal parts, one share
going to each club. 1t is hoped by this
to bring the cities all OH the same tinan-
cial footing, and do away with the claim
that the strong cities are making money
at the expense of the weak. From each
clubs share of the net profits stated
amount will be paid into sinking fund,
and the rest paid out in dividends on
stock. Another new feature will be the
hanging up of big money prizes for the
first and second, and, perhaps. third
clubs in the championship race. The
amount hes not yet been determined,
but it has been suggested that each club
PUT 5000 I'm THE POT"
at the opening of the season. This
would make $4,000 to play for. of which
the winning team would take 5000,
the second $4,000, and the third $1,000.
This would, it is believed, invest the
game with an interest which does not
now attach to the.fying of mere cham
piOnship pennant. The projectors of
this system do not intend that the game
shall deteriorate either in its attractive
sonnet of the audience. There will be
no Sunday games; no liquor selling on
the grounds, and but little change in
the prices of admission, unless motion
now under debate to reduce the
'bleaching board" tickets to % cents
should carry.