Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-13
THEBALLPLAYERS
Summing Up Of the Present
State of Affairs.
THE LEAGUE AND BROTHERHOOD

l
THE LEAGUE AND BROTHERHOOD
The Former Has Met the Difaculty With
Its Accustomed Energy-The Delays and
| Uncertainties of the Latter-What viii
BE tho Outcome?
The lines are being closely drawn between
the League and the Brotherhood, and the
players must now decide where they will
stand when the roll is called next April
Many of them, 80 far as they can do so, by
signing contracts, have decided the question,
but the majority Of them, in spite Of their
promises to the Brotherhood, are still astride
the fence, uncertain which way to jump
It is difficult within the limits of this art
icle to explain the exact positions held by
both parties to tho impending contest. Brief
ly, the Brotherhood has made preparation to
organize the Players League, and expect to
do SO JAN T. The delay was due to the reluc-
lance Of the men who are to supply the prin-
cipal portion Of the sinews of war to commit
themselves irrevocably until the Brotherhood
can show evidence that it can deliver the
goods, i. e., the players, as agreed. This evi-
dence is the signatures of the 100 players ne
cessary to complete the various teams Of the
new Players league. This evidence Messrs.
Ward, Pfeiffer, Ewing, Hanlon and Irwin
are doing their best to collect. They have
signed, or claim to have signed, something
like fifteen American Association players and
seventy League men. AS matter of fact, the
actual signatures obtained do not much ex
coed fifty altogether. This was the result Of
three weeks work.
During the past ten days there has been q
cessation in the signing, which is due to two
causes Oneis the inroad made by the League,
and the second is the light being thrown on
the Player league contract, which has been
made public despite the efforts Of the Bro
therhood to keep its terms secret. AS the
players begin to realize just where that con-
tract places them, they begin to weaken per-
ceptibly. The points in the contract which
are now operating against the Brotherhood
of any personal liability, and provide that
ceipts and from no other source.
There is absolutely no guarantee whatever
that the salaries promised will be paid, ex-
the new League The players are much dis
appointed in other ways also. They were
promised one year contracts and pooling
of profits where the players of unsuccessful
teams might stand an equal show with the
players of successful teams. They expected
to share whatever profits might accrue over
a certain sum, and they supposed that the
hackers would see that they would have their
NDxr <har,o 4
with a contract that makes them profit
sharers, it is true, but also makes them a loss
sharers as we'll The players are perfectly
satisfied to share proats, but they are not SO
anxious to run the risk of sharing losses
This contract also binds them for three
years more absolutely than the National
league ever held them.
The League has met the question with it's
accustomed energy and courage, and has act
ed fairly, even though they have in a meas
ure been forced to do SO. They have abol-
ished classification; they have modified tho
sales system SO that the player is enabled to
buy and sell his own release and profit there
by, both in increased salary and bonus; they
have redressed the grievance Of Sutcliffe, al
though they have clearly proved that he has
no legal claim to the $3.50 paid him. The
only thing they have not done, which the
players would have liked to have done, al
though not very strenuous about 1t, is to
abolish or moderate the reserve rule.
These are the things and the only things
which bore very hard on the players. l adj
vised them last spring to ask for these re-
forms, and said then that the players would
be justified in starting on their own hook
with chance of success if the reforms were
Gol l. ,>% a. r
would have granted them if it had had an
opportunity OF doing So
The players claimed that the League neg
lected an opportunity presented them last
summer. The League retorts by saying that
it was not the proper time. The Brotherhood
leaders, who have all along wanted to get up
profit sharing league, seized on the Leagues
postponemsnt Of the complaints as an excuse
for putting their plans into action.
The League claims the services Of their men
for 1890 under section Is of the original
brotherhood contract, which gives the League
the right to reserve the player for the season
next ensuing. This point the League, acting
under the opinions Of Evarts, Choate & Bea-
man, and other eminent lawyers, will press
in the courts to the bitter end.
The players claim that the reserve only ap-
pNeu As dEtA1nSO CluDS uuOcT Tue NdCiOua1
agreement, and are fortified in the claim by
the opinions Of eminent counsel. The fate Of
the Players league rests On the decision Of
this point II the courts say the League is
right, there will be no Players league, at
least not with National league players, until
1891. Meanwhile the League has succeeded
in signing about twenty five of the Brother
hood men, although they claim over forty.
Thus the matter stands at present
The players have these two prospects: II
they stick by the League they are guaranteed
their salaries; they wiz have the chance Of
an increase; they will not share in profits;
they will not share in losses. If they are
transferred from one club to another, they
will generally get an increase in pay and .
bonus
II they go with the Brotherhood they sign
for three years with hardly hope for an In
crease; they are not guaranteed their sala-
ries; they will share profits beyond a f1sd
Gum, If there are any; they will also share
the losses should there be any.
II there were no composition In the cities
where the Players league expects to operate,
the solution Of the problem would be easy.
Such, however, is not the case. The PLAYERS
league viii have the National league to asht
in every city save one, and viii not have to
fight teams OF novices, as the Brotherhood
leaders confidently expected. They will meet
teams containing a large proportion Of sea-
soned timber, and it will be losing battle for
both sides
The longest purse and the stiffest backbone