Huntsville gazette., 1889-11-09
BASE BALL NEWS.

Audress From the brotherhood of Base
'aH Players Defining the Position Of the
brotherhood Toward the National Lea que
y Plain Statement of the Grievances of
the Players Against the League and the
Proposed Remedies.
NEW YORK, Nov. 5.-At a session Of
the council of the Basel Ball Brother
hood IN this city yesterday the only inn
portant business done was the prepara-
tlon OF an address to the public defining
the position OF the brotherhood towards
the National League. This address is
as follows:
At last the Brotherhood of Base Ball Play
els feels at liberty to make known its inten-
tions and defend itself against the aspersons
ana Interpretations which for weeks it has
pcen forced to suffer in silence 1t is no
longer a secret that the players of the League
iiaYe determined to play next season under
inherent management but for reasons which
think will be understood it was deemed
advisable to make no announcement of this
intention until the close of the present sea-
SON But now that the struggles for the
various pennants are over and all the terms
OF contracts expired there is no longer rea-
son for holding it back In taking this step
we feel that we owe it to the public and to
ourselves to explain briefly some of the rea-
There was time when the League stood
for integrity and fair dealing; to day it
stands for dollars and cents. Once it looked
70 the elevation of the game as an honest eX-
hlDItlon; to-day its eyes are upon the turn
stlle. Men have come into the business for
no other motive than to exploit it for every
dollar in sight. Measures originally intend
ed for the good Of the game have been per-
Verted into instruments for wrong. The re-
serve rule and the provisions of the National
agreement gave the managers unlimited
power, and they have not hesitated to use it
IN the most arbitrary and mercenarv way.
Players have been bought sold and cX
changed as though they were sheep instead
or American citizens. observation" be-
came with them another name for property
right in the player. BY "a combination among
themselves stronger than the strongest trust,
they are able to enforce the most arbitraTv
measure, and the player has either to submit
| or get out of the profession in which he has
spent years in attaining proficiency. Even
the disbandmcnt of a club did not free the
players from the despOtism of the octopus
clutch, for they were then peddled out to the
highest bidder That the players sometimes
prohted by the transaction has nothing to do
with the case, but only proves the injustice
| of his previous restraint.
Two years ago we met the League and at
tempted to remedy some Of these evils, but
tHIOuSn WHAT mas Deen cnarItdDly called
League diplomacy, we completely failed.
Unwilling longer to submit to such treat
| ment, we made a strong effort last spring to
reach an understanding with the League. To
our application for hearing they replied
| that the matter was not of sufficient import
ance to warrant meeting, and suggested
/ that it be put OFF until fall. Our committee
| replied that the players felt that the League
| had broken faith with them; that while the
result might be Of little Importance to the
managers, they were of great Importance to
the players That if the League would not
| conccde what was fair, we would adopt
another means to protect ourselves; that if
postponed until fall, we would be separated
and at the mercy of the League, and that as
the only course left US required time and Ia
Dor to develop we must therefore insist upon
an immediate conference. Then upon their
final refusal to meet rs we began organiz-
ing for ourselves and are now in shape to
90 ahead next year under new management
and under new auspices.
We believe that it is possible to conduct
the National game upon lines which will not
infringe upon individual and natural rights.
We ask to be judged solely by our work, and
believing that the game can be played more
fairly and its business conducted more intel
lgently under plan which excludes every
thing arbitrary and un nAmcrican, we look
forward with confidence to the support of
the public and the future of the National
game
lSigned1 NATIONAL BROTHERHOOD
OF BALL PLAYERS
Tomorrow the first annual meeting of
the players will be held, at which the
final disposition of clubs and players
will be decided upon. Every thing is al
ready perfectly arranged, and it is only
necessary that official sanction be given
the plan. It is definitely settled that
Brotherhood clubs will be placed in all
the present League cities, excepting
indianapolis and Washington, whose
players will be taken by Brooklyn and
Buffalo. It is also settled that Johnny
Ward will manage the Brooklyn team.
CTDAiGLT TWINS