The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-10-03
LEAGUE MEN TO. FIGHT.
THE STRIKE OF BAsE-BAII IL PLAYERS
WILL BE RESISTED.
League Managers VIII Hire New Men,
Retain Their Grounds, and Go Right on
Giving Exhibitions of the National Garae
A. G. Spalding's Views.

a. u SpaId1nS'S NicWS.
New York special1
The much -talked-of scheme of the base-baIl
brotherhood to organize combination of clubs
in the prominent cities of the country in OPP
position to tile National League and it's
laws, is q most serious undertaking to those di.
rectly concerned. A review of a former attempt
to break the present controlling powers is of in.
terest at this time in that it has more or less in
common with the present baseball situation
In the early part of 1854 Henry V. Lleas, q
wealthy citizen of st. Louis, conceived the idea
OF breaking up that bulwark of professional
base ball. the reserve rule He considered the
rule merely a means of robbing the players o.
their freedom to come and go as they pleased
and, Notwithstanding the fact that it had been
fairly demonstratedlthat theI players interests
were as fully protected by the rule as were the
clubS Mr.. Lucas made up his mind to kill
it. He enlisted the cooperation of capitalists
in various cities of the East and West and
set about to organize the Union Association. OF
prominent men VINO took up his standard were
Justus Thorner, of Cincinnati; H. H. Hender.
son. of Chicago; and Tim Murnane of Boston.
These formed the nucleus OF the new Associ.
alton, and one by other cities were repre-
sented by similar enthusiasts until eight were
In the field when the season opened. They were
st. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Altoona in
the West, and Philadelphia, Baltimore, Wash.
trgton, and Boston in the East. Mr.. Lucas was
fighting for principle, and, believing that he
was improving the status of the ball player
thereby, expected to induce most of the prom
1nent professionals to ignore the reserve ru1e
and forsake the National League clubs, which
held them under bondage. When the trying
moment came, however, the players, a rule.
declined to accept the offers of the Union Asso-
citation, and preferred to remain under the bond
age where steady employment and good salaries
were certafntieS,
Of all the players approached those who de-
serted the regular clubs can be counted on the
fingers of ones two hands. The first one to
break his allegiance to the reserve rule was
Tony Mullane of the St. Louis Association club.
He accepted the offer of $1,000 year from Mr..
Lucas and pocketed 81, 900 advance money. He
weakened, however, before the season opened,
the Toledo Club, which was q member of the
American Association in that year. George
Washington Bradley and Orator" Shatfer were
the next to yield to the Establishments of Lucas,
and one armed Hugh Daily soon followed suit.
Then Fred Dunlap, Clevelands great second
baseman, seeded and signed a contract with
the st. Louis Unions. Crane, of New York, was
the next to yield, he going to Cincinnati. Do
what they could the Union officials could get no
more players to break faith with the League
Association clubs, and they had to make up
their teams with the unengaged players then
on the market. And so the season was started.
In July the st. Louis Unions tempered with
Pitcher Sweeney of the Providence
Club, and that player so deported himself In
consequence that he was blacklisted. He then
joined Lucas team. The last coup of the Union
people was made on Aug. s. when they induced
Mccormick, Briody, and Glasscock of the sue
cessful Cleveland team to desert to Cincinnati.
So much for the players. And now for the sue
cess of the clubs. OF the eight that began the
season in April only five lasted to the finish.
After six weeks struggling the Altoona Club
gave up, and on May 81 Kansas City took its
place. The Keystones, of Philadelphia, dis
banded early in August, and Wilmington was
induced to desert the Eastern League and fill
the vacancy. The Wilmingtons did not last
long and they in turn gave way to the Milwau-
KEGS on Sept. 15 The Chicago Club quit in
August, and transferred it's players to Pitts
burgh but there, too, success made,
and they disbanded Sept 10. st. Paul the last
remnant of the defunct Northwestern League,
finished out the season in Pittsburgh's place.
Such is the eventfu1 record of the first and
only season of the Union Association Every
club lost money, and the leader, Mr.. Lucas,
sank small fortune. When the time for the
second annual meeting came around no Eastern
club Was represented. An adjournment wes
taken until Jan. Is, 1885. On that day only two
clubs appeared, and they formally disbanded
the Union Association. The st. Louis club was
subsequently admitted to membership in the
National League and the other Western clubs
called q meeting for forming q association,
which proved to be the Western League, organ
lied under the national agreement. The last
chapter in the story the qualified rein
statement of the deserters, Dunlap, Glasscock,
Mccormick, and Briody by the Nation League.
A strong opposition existed to it, notably Ghat
of President A. G. Mills. When the men were
finally restored to the ranks of the League, Mr..
Mills resigned the Presidency, and has not been
prominently connected with the national game
since.