St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-23
PLAYERS ARE SAUCY.
Spokesman for the Brother
hood Recount the Tyranny
Of the League.
Spalding'S Address to the
Public Is Neatly Picked to
Pieces.
He and His Colleagues Are
Termed Wolves in Sleeps
Clothing.
Slugger Sullivan Will Accept
the San Jose Bid if Bona
Eide.

CINCINNATI. Nov. 22.-ASpecIal COM
mittee of the Brotherhood of Base Ball
Players. MeSsrs. Ward, Ewing and An
drews. after an all-day session at the
Grand hotel, issued the following adj
dress:
To the Public: IF anything further
were necessary to show the desperate
state of mind into which the old league
magnateS have fallen, their last apDeal
TO the public has furnished it. In its
statement of facts it is the weakest, and
in its miSStatements the strongest of
any vet issued. After claiming credit
for things with which they individually
had absolutely nothing to do, they
launch forth on a sea of assertion, COM
pared TO which the SO-called gathering
generalities" of the brotherhood are a
mere millpOnd. Without questioning
the services rendered by the old league,
or stopping to inquire how far its course
has been prompted by selfish interest,
the PLAYERS still believe that its days OF
usefulness is gone; that it has fallen
into the hands of men who look more to
their personal interests than TO the good
of the game. When they attempted to
make money at the sacrifice of the dig
nifty of the game and at the expense OF
the players rights as man
THEY WENT TOO FAR.
A system which cOntemplateS the sale
of a players future service is too in
fouitous and ''un-American," to stand,
however dear to the hearts of the mag
mates. The league committee has taken
pains to point out how much the play
erS owe to the league, but has omitted to
mention how much they themselves
owe the PLAYERS. The ease with which
they skim over the origin and intention
of the reserved rule and its supposed
present necessity, would be refreshing
were it not so evidently intended to
miSIead. Who and what made that
rule necessary? Was it not the I'M
scrupulouS va. dalism of-the managers
themselves and their unwiliingneSs to
trust che another? As its author, A. q.
Mills. has said. it was intended to take
the robber manager by the throat and
make him keep his hands off of the
PLAYERS in an associate club. The
power this rule gave was used in the
most mercenary way. and the assertion
by the committee that no player has
ever been transferred without his con-
sent is braZenly false. Do they call it
consent when player must submit or get
out of base ball? Did BuffintOn and
Cunning cons mt? Were not both Nor
rell and Wise sold, and the fact pub
Iished before either was spoken to, or
knew anything about it? Did Rowe and
White 90 willingly TO Pittsburg? Or
Sutcliffe to Cleveland? Or GetZein, or
this same precious trio, GlaSscock,
Denny and Boyle, to Indianapolis? No.
They
DID EVERYTHING TO ESCAPE.
and only consented" when the alter
native was presented of being shut out
of a livelihood in base ball. The as
SertiOn that the new league proposes to
transfer players without their consent
is either 4 mistake OF Wlllful mis-
statement. and when the term of his
contract has expired the player is at
perfect liberty again to go where he
will. and nothing in the constitution of
the new leagce or in his contract at
tempts to deprive him of this right.
We have no reserve rule, " no arbitrary
s. 900 limit rule, only one contract and
the full salary written in it. nothing
which enerOachPs upon the play
er'S natural rights, and when he
goes from one club to an
other his consent is not force
and no price is placed. The statement
that the contract in use since 1887 has
never been violated by the league in
letter or spirit is another piece of
characteristic effrOntery. The under
standing between clubs and players
was violated when the league failed. by
its eonnivance. as has been charged. to
secure the repeal of the salary limit
rule. The spirit of the contract was
violated when they refused to insert in
the contract the players full salary. 1t
" x-inl0fnA aHqIn VVhnn
the classification law was passed. and
it was violated again in every case
where players salary Was reduced by
the operation of that law. We refused
to meet the league this fall because the
time for such a meeting had long since
passed. 1t is true, the league has en-
acted some things the brotherhood
would have asked, and in so doing has
not only stultified itself and acknowl-
edged the Injustice of it former posi-
ton, but has admitted the
JUSTICE OF OUR CLAIM.
But is any one cOnYersant with
league methods simple enough to be-
Iieve they would ever have done this
had necessity not forced it upon them.
They have not paid back the difference
in salaries to the classified players, and
their pretentiOn to having abolished the
ceive the public In future the PLAYER
must buy his release instead of the club,
but the money will come just the same
from the purchasing club. 1t is nosim-
pie task to organize new league, nor Is
it the work of a week. We could not
postpone action until fall, when we
would all be separated and powerleSs to
act together, because in such cOndi-
tiOn the league magnateS would have
laughed at US. In order to interest men
with capital to spend time and money
in such a project it was necessary to
give some guarantee OF good faith. We
tried to meet the league. but they refused,
wheTeupOn, and not till then.we decided
TO look elsewhere for employment.
If any one thinks we should have made
our plans public from the beginning,
let him look at the obstacles the league
is now throwing in our way and the
methods it is employing to defeat US.
Had we had these to encounter at first
our failure would have been certain and
our positions in consequence worse than
ever. As for the effect of this move
ment upon the game, the public need
have no fear. The men entrusted are the
very ones most vitality concerned in the
games future, and they will do nothing
TO iniuTe it in any way. On the con-
trary, they will do everything to pre-
serve its purity and integrity, to elevate
it above mere speculative enterprise,
and to place it on the level which our
national game should occupy.
Signed by William Ewing, George Ed
ward Andrews and John NJ. Ward.
WESTERN CONTRACTS.