St. Paul daily globe., 1890-03-23
The RESERVE RULE.
The League Flies Into the
Breach in an Elaborate
Defense.
ARather Startling Statement
From the Ledgers Of the
League.
Frincely Salaries Received by
Men Who We're "Sold
Like Cattle"
Over A Million Dollars Paid
Brotherhood Men in Nine
Years.

In Spalding's official base ball guide,
advance sheets of which have reached
the GLOBE, the league magnates make
a lengthy statement regarding the
treatment of the players who nave
since become members of the brother
hood. The salient portions of the artl-
Gle are given below:
One of the standard grievances OF the
brotherhood leaders throughout their
whole controversy with the National
league has been the oppressive nature
of the reserve rule. Now there is moth
ing like the indisputable facts OF oillclal
statistics to disprOve such lndlscrlml-
nate and abusive charges as those
made by the leaders of the players
revolt and their Journalistic advocates
and supporters: and below is presented
financial statement from the leagues
ledgers, which will open the eyes OF the
base ball world to the fallacies if not
false statements of the brotherhood
combine. The table i'll question is that
showing the respective salaries palo TO
the league malcontents since the re-
serve rule went into practical effect III
1881. The facts of figures have never
before been so conclusiyely proved as
in the appended table, from which 1t
will be seen that the men on the list OF
the league players who have suffered
from
Reduced Salaries
have been almost invariably those who
were not reserved. Moreover, these
figures respond, in unmistakable facts,
to the plea of the brotherhood leaders
that they have hitherto been sold like
cattle without the least benefit to them,
the table showing how each players
salary was increased by his transfer
from one club to another by each of his
releases. For instance, there is Mike
Kelly's increase from $500 to $4,000;
Cores from S2,100 to $1,000, both OF
whom went from the Chicago club to
the Boston and New York clubs re-
spectively. Hardy Richardson's III
crease from 50, 100 in Buffalo to $4,000 IN
Detroit; Dan Brouthers from $500
in Buffalo to $4,000 in Detroit. Then
there is O'Rourke's increase from $4,000
as manager and player at Buffalo to
$500 simply as player i'll New York;
jim Whites increase from $500 in But
falo to 50, 500 in Detroit, and Jack Rowe
from 81, 100 in Buffalo to $500 IN De-
troit: Ed Hanlon from $4,000 in Detroit
to $500 IN Pittsburg. These figures,
together with the further fact that there
is no case on record where player has
been transferred from one League club
to another without his consent, but i'll
Variably at his request, and always at
an advance in salary, is an unanSWera-
BILE argument as to the
business and Fairness
of the much abused, grossly misrepre-
sented, but beneficial reserve rule.
But the greatest expose of the tinan-
cial table is that showing the aggregate
of the salaries received by the malcon-
tents from 1881 to 1889 inclusive. How
these door base ball slaves have been
remunerated for their laborious( % three
hours work on the ball field OH an aver
age of five days out Of each week, for
six months of each year, is shown in the
table with most telling effect. For in
stance. there is Buck Ewing, whose
days of slavery from 1881 to 1856 yielded
him $2S,000, exclusive OF perqui-
sites; Ward coming next. with
E27,35O; O'ROurke third, with ST.
25O: Keefe, with 300; Rad
bourne. with S25, $50; Brouthers,
with S24, ,179; Hardy Richardson, with
S24.15O; Nike Kelly, with $23, $50; Jim
White, with $22 900; Rowe, with S22, 400,
and Connor. with S20,S00. In fact, six
teen of the league club playerS-hve of
New York, five of Chicago, five OF Buff
falO-who have been in the league since
1881 were paid no less than 1854, 100 in
salaries. Eighteen others who played
In league clubs for not than four years
aggregated salaries amounting to S575,-
$50: eleven others who were in the
league for three years aggregated $79,-
600; and twelve others-two years men
aggregated S4S, $50, and five one year
men $4,000, the whole aggregating
No Less Than $1,O72, los
in salaries for from one to nine years Of
service in playing ball. All OF these
players-or nearly all-are now among
the Players League club teams, and
every one is not only guilty Of ingrati-
tude toward his club, but has deliber-
ately broken his written contract with
his club, and forever afterward must be
known in the base ball world as con-
tract breakers. The reserve rule in its
practical operation has been of more
value to the players, in steadily increaS-
ing their salaries from year to year,
than it has been to the clubs, as shown
by the accompanying figures. The fol-
lowing table shows the salaries paid to
players in the National league from
1881 TO 1889, inclusive:
Nine Years Players.