Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-24
A REVIEW OF SPORTS
Opinion Regarding NewPhaSeS
of the Decker Case.
REMARKS ON THE LEAGUE.
II is Much Like an 0ld-Fashioned
Trades Union.
GOSSIP ABOUT THE LOCAL CLUB.
Comment Concerning Dempsey, Kilrain,
McCafrey and OthersA
REMARKS ON THE LEAGUE.
DSSIP ABOUT THE LOCAL CLUB.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY

There has been nothing during the week
more interesting to large number of people
than the new features of the Decker case. If
indications are ANYTHING like safe guide it
would seem safe to say that there will be
highly interesting phases OF the case in ques-
ton before it ends. When Mr.. Decker COM
menced his suit probably he nor anybody
else thought that the great question would
be: What is the League? On a matter OF
principle Mr.. Decker wanted his money,
that is, that part of his salary for which he
contracted with the League; beg pardon,
with President n. Z. Young, and which
part is yet unpaid. 10 get that money was
the great object Of Mr.. Decker and hisa
ney, Mr.. Watson. Now, however, matters
have taken a surprising turn. The great
desideratum is not so much to get the un-
paid salary as it is to find out what or who is
the National Baseball League.
Important TO the Brotherhood.
Probably no question could be raised of more
importance to the Players Brotherhood than
that of what is the League. Recently there
has been a growing desire among the players to
rebel against certain conditions which were
Brotherhood has intimated its readiness to help
to remedy few existing inequalities, but so
far no attempt has been made. Heretofore the
identity or the apparent non-identity of the
League has always been The difficulty which
has scared players from tackling the League In
court 1t is, therefore, easy to see that no case
could be introduced which is of more vital i'm
portance to ball PLAYERS and also to baseball
patrons than the case in question. 1t is pity
that John NJ. Ward, President of the Players
Brotherhood, is not in the country at present.
Had he been here he might have been useful to
a great extent in assisting TO have the very
knOtty question solved
A Few Words About the League.
Far be it from me to try and explain at this
juncture what the League is. / suppose we'll
have to await Legal developments, but there
are one or two features of the question which
can be dealt with here Common sense would
certainly prompt us to expect that whatever
the law defines the National League to be
there must be responsibility somewhere. 1t
cannot be that an orga ization like the Ma
tionsl Baseball League exists in this country
entirely irrespons bic for its acts simply be-
cause in legal sense it is not tangible. Any
organization or institution of this kind will not
be tolerated nowadays and the question simply
resolves itself to this: If the League cannot be
defined for legal purposes it ought to be. This
is onlY fair to the players and the public. 1t
does seem singular that President Young, in
the name of what is called the National Base
ball League. should make contracts with peo-
pie and the latter be unable to find the re-
sponsible person should the Leagues part of
the contract not be fulhlled.