Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-22

PHILADELPHIA, November 21.--The COM
mittee which was appointed at the recent
annual meeting of the National League of
Professional Baseball Clubs to prepare an
address to the public defining the position
of that organization in the present baseball
controversy, completed its labors to-day.
The committee consisted of Messrs. A. G.
Spalding, of Chicago; John B. Day, of New
York, and John 1. Rodgers. o: Philadel-
phia. The text Of the address follows:
A GREAT ADDRESS.
To the Public;
The National League of Professional Base
ball Clubs has no apology to make for its ex-
istence or for its untarnished record Of IA
years
1t stands to-day, as it stood during that
period, sponsor for the honesty and integrity of
professional baseball.
1t is TO this organization that the player of
to-day owes the dignity of his profession and
the munifcent salary he is guaranteed while
playing in its ranks.
The good name of this League has been as
sailed, its motives impugned and its integrity
questioned by some of the very men whom it
has most benefited.
The League therefore asks the public TO in
statement of facts with the selfish and mali
cious accusations of its assailants. The Ma
tional League was
ORGANIZED IN 1876
as a necessity, to rescue the game from its
slough OF corruption and disgrace, and take it
from the hands of the ball players who had
controlled and dominated the National Asso-
citation of Professional Ball Players.
No effort was made by the old association to
control its members and the result was that
contract breaking, dissipation and dishonesty
had undermined the game to such an extent
that it seemed an almost hopeless task to at
tempt its rescue.
The League, upon its organization, abolished
pool selling, open betting on the grounds, pro-
hibited Sunday games and excluded the sale of
liquors. A better class of people were invited
to attend the exhibitions ami more systematic
way of conducting the game was introduced.
But the
OLD CUSTOMS AND ABUSES
were not to be crowded out without struggle.
At the end of the season of 1876, two of the
strongest clubs, the Mutuals of New York
and Athletics of Philadelphia, were arraigned
before the League for violating their schedule
engagements. This was the first crisis the
League was called upon to meet and the world
knows how promptly and vigorously it faced
the issue by expelling those two prominent
clubs, representing, as they did, its most popu-
lous and best paving cities. The following sea-
son (lS7) was disastrous one financially, and
ended with but five clubs in the League, in one
of whieh Qlouisville) were players publicly &C
cused of dishonesty.
The League promptly investigated these
charges and when the four players of the club
Devlin, Hall, Graves and Nichols, were proven
guilty of selling games, they were promptly ex-
PEELED and have never been reinstated.
A BOLD STAND.
These two steps, boldly taken, when the
League was struggling for existence settled
the question as to a clubs obligations to the
League and forever banished dishonesty from
its ranks, stigmatizing the latter as an unpar-
donable crime.
The struggle for existence for the next three
or four years was desperate, and at each an
nual meeting there occurred vacancies difficult
to fIl because of the almost certain financial
disasters threatening clubs in the smaller cities
Finally, as a check on competition, weaker
clubs in the League demanded the privilege of
reservlng hYe players who would form the
nucleus Of team for the ensuing season. This
was the origin Of the reserve rule" and from
its adoption may be dated the DEVELOPMENT of
better financial results. The system of reserve
having proven beneficial both to clubs and
players, the reserve list was increased to II and
then to "A or an entire team.
A BENEFICIAL RULE.
Under this rule the game has steadily grown
in favor, the salaries of players have more
than trebled and a higher degree of skill been
attained. Out of, and as incident to res
ervation" arose releases for pecuniary consid-
erations. The right of reservation being con-
ceded. the clubs claim on the player's continu-
Gus services must be of some value, But ex-
cept in cases of dIsbanding or retiring clubs
that right has never been transferred without
the players cooperation and consent usually
at his request and for his own pecuniary emol-
ument
In the exceptional case of the disbandment
or retirement of a League club the involuntary
transfer OF PLAYER to new club was the sub
ject of complaint, by a committee of the
brotherhood in November, 1887. But after sew
eral hours conference with the League COM
m1ttee the former were obliged to admit that
such involuntary transfer was absolutely es-
sential to the welfare, if not the existence. of
the League and, while il might work apparent
hardship to one or two individuals its abolition
would lmperil the continuance of full club
membership and the employment of perhaps
30 fellow players.
THE BROTHERHOOD COMMITTEE,
therefore, wrote into the contract they had
formulated, that 18th paragraph. BY which
each signing player expressly comedies such
Involuntary transfer of the right of reserva-
tion to his services from his club-if it should
dlsband or lose its League membership-to
ANY other club or association" provided his
current salary be not reduced. And the neces-
sity for some such power of preserving the cir
cut OF a League, Dy approximately equalizlng
its playing strength, is recognized by the new
league, which the seeding players have tenn
porarily organized; for, they give this ''extraor-
dinary power" of transferring players. with or
without consent and with or without club dis
bandment, to a central tribunal of l6 directors.
whose fat is final. In view of these facts and
concessions the use of such terms as "bondapen
slavery" sold like sheep. etc., become mean
ingless and absurd. At the annual meeting of
the League in November, 1887 the
Brotherhood asked and received rec
Ognition upon the statement of its
representatives that it was organized for
benevolent purposes and desired to 90 hand in
hand with the League, in perpetuating the
game, increasing benefits, popularity and ele-
waiting the moral standard of its players. They
dlsavowed any intention or desire to interfere
with the business affairs of the League the sal
aries of players, or the Reserve rule" simply
asking that the contract be SO revised that it.
in itself, would indicate every relation be.
tween the club and each individual player
THIS BROTHERHOOD CONTRACT"
when accepted and adopted, has never been
violated by the League, either in letter or
spirit, and we challenge proof IN contradiction
of this declaration. To correct misapprehen-
sion in the pGblic mind, as to the alleged "enor-
nous profits" divided among stockholders of
League clubs 1t may be interesting to know
that during the past five and only prosperous
years there have been paid in cash dividends to
stockholders in the eight League clubs less
than Sl50.000 ana during the same time League
players have received in salaries over 81 500 QUO
The balance Of the profits of the few success.
ful clubs, together with the original capi-
tai ard subsequent assessments of stock
holders is represented entirely in grounds
and improvements for the permanent good
Of the game, costing about $4,000 The
refusal of the Brotherhood committee
to meet the League IN conference at the close
of the season, proves incontestibly that she I'M
perative demand for conference in mid
summer, TO redress grievances that have never
yet materisliEed, was mere pretext for seces-
sion