Telegram-herald., 1889-05-20
THE BROTHERHOOD.
The Players arc slapls slaves "a ths
a.na sf q Fswerfui arasa-asln IA
Nsrd IL tks Centr4a flSsFs IA
khs EcbellioA.

Ga tae ls1h asy II sLsy e aaeesilss VIII hs
hcle n tbs oitF q New J ORA tAs results ~
wElah ~lA no douhs he felt IN every city
~tzrs car national g@sa.s has fa'oJhola on
thai aas the aaiag4sss reKaeseaslE.s The essai
ehapssss Of tts Bal Players broElsSesoa
~ln hold Sscrei oanciaxe AID LAY cat s'flsn
u action winch II Is generally believed ~iu
make things decidedly warm for the eentie-
Iaen why oontrol e. shsalateis, ~ believe
they do, ths destinies q the game ~ hassbal
AL the laeu shc play II professionally
The organization k1o~n the National
league ~ Professional Baseball Club and
rs SISTER body, the American Association,
form q powerful trust which 10 within tie
lAs sad yet outside u a.
IL l. founded upon q document knowa a.
tie national aGrosnseut Originally thu wNs
made Il purify tue game aud perpetuat< a.,
and whsn used onls for thai pGrposs no fault
can IL found, bat u lase years II La been
used for purposes for which u ~as nesaT DO
slsned aad under II abuses have grown up
which have made the lot II the bal PLAYERS
anything but happg, inssgnnsh as II lac 10 a
certain extent made slaves of them. well pald
slaves perhaps. b9t nens the lsSs slaves.
Once let a man sign q contract with aly
elab party 10 this famous agreement aud
bls services belong % that club - long a. hs
plays bail They can break the contract
lie cannot They may sell his services 10
eRotheT club aud he "a forced - 40 where he
is ordered OF give up the business The law
Of the land would 40 doubt pronounce this
agreement and the abuses which II fosters
illegal, bat the law cannot compel a person
OF a corporation 10 enploy d man II that par
son or corporation does not sec III b. do -,
"A. l.. n.
break the thr3lidom In which Tie professlona.l
bali players ARE held with . grip that 10
stronger than steel Itself
There is only one way ia which the plavers
can throw of the yoke, and thai Is by organ
izafion, a severance 81 tbesr allegiance q The
great ball leagues, tie organization Of al in
dependent league aud q 1ght with their
former masters for existence. To bs success
ful. however. the organization must bs oon-
plete, or practically So, and capital must bs
f0Sad ~ keep the independent body sfoat
To effect this end John Montgomery Ward
conceived the Ball Players brotherhood,
and the time seems 10 be approaching when
the great leagues must reform the abuses
complained II or stand q battle royal "
which one side or the other viii be exJerIni-
mated in a baseball sense.
The Brotherhood has already had one sklr-
miSh with the League and carried iIk point
apparently, at-d had the League kept absolute
faith with them IL Ia not likely thai there
would be any serious trouble, bat the League
has not kept faith in the spirit the players ex-
pected and trusted they would 10.
Furthermore the League has attacked the
players on "A point that has e1aspersted them
severely. They did this when they adopted
the celebrated classification rule, which has
been used 10 reduce the salaries Of q large
number of the players without acting IN tie
same way upon the salaries of other players
in most cases no more deserving than those
whose incomes have been reduced
1t is TO consider and decide upon q plan 10
redress this last encroachment upon their
rights that the brotherhood viii meet next
Sunday.
1t is impossible TO forecast just the line the
players viii take, but II is undeniable that
the way is open and when the time fer action
comes, If public sympathy and capital is
with them, they will succeed either in fore
ing the League 10 terms or in organizing an
independent league. The scheme, az pear
can make it out, compreheDds tie rebellion
Of every member OF the Brotherhood a. soon
rs their present contracts expire, and the
formation Of new clubs in the cities now oc-
tNlitaj ~ s-4D tfHr Sb Nfi A~a4tf a. ADc
players are willing 10 secede. capital can too
found 10 start the new enterprises
Indeed, the Brotherhood leaders claim 70
have already found the men and the means
10 make a general desertion Of their present
employers successful IL is reasonable 10 sup
peso that the tried, popular and skilled play
ers VIII draw the public 10 their gaDcs IN
larger numbers than the League could draw
with inferior men. To be successful ia such
a movement, however. the players must he
united The League msgnaiee propose - l-s-
lieve that Ward and bis hackers cannot crys-
tallize the entire forces OF the League pls yer-s
against them for the reason that there are
many men in each club who are not uo~Enbers
OF the Brotherhood
But tins point is not wei taken for those
men who are not members for prudential
reasons are in Close sympathy with the move
ment and would surely JOIN In IL II II erhi-
bited those elements Of strength which IL
claims 10 have and which reason soems 10 in
dicate it would have
We're oil the players now In the employ -
the League 10 leave Its service IL would be
impossible for that BODY 10 fii the places va
Gated IN FIVE years In 1883, anticipating
trouble with the Brotherhood. the League
cut of al It's b8rnaclcs and tried 10 arrange
10 do vithou; many Of i< tried men by an in
fusion Of young blood
Out Of forty new players only ten achieved
success md popularity enough 70 make them
valuable prizes. snd it Is question how
many would have done ~ without IN. coach
ing and encouragement OF the veterans with
whom they mingled
The plan ~ the Brotherhood. II Is reason
sbe TO suppose viii he 10 demand OF the
League ucb concessions are dictated hr
justice and equity. and 30 notify "a. trua
that unless these dsrnands are complied with
by certain dste toe pls yers, aided by cspi-
tslists whom they claim stand ready. vii
form q new league aud proc4~d to play ball
on their oyn book Ia spite II tss League aud
its black list
IL ths players are united. II they have
plenty q bockboBe. II their leaders act care
fully and wiseiy n. and II above al. tbsr really
have bona fids capitalists r-adY 10 stand up
sBo be counted, then the movement in my
opinion. wil - successful. bees sI-@ ia. league
vili weaken before II wiz fight
There srs good many ia Th. biggest
one Is ths question n capibal One con vince
tbe LessBs magnstes thst yUB hsve that.
gentlemen o. the Brotherh hood. and your
caBse ss Won Bluffs hovsvsr. viii not 20.
i ou nUsi uunsss your guns ~ yeu wont
sUcoesd " 1 Hkskas
Ther gentle action and good eject