Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-18
LOCAL RIVALS MEET,
qanlon, Tener and O'Neill
Have a Hot Argument.
SOME RACY THINGS SAID.
Beckley Declares He Has Not Re-
ceived Scandrett's Check.
THE SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY

J. Palmer O'Neill, of the old club, and
Messrs. Hanlon and Tener, of the new club,
have long argument regarding the base,
ball conflict. Beckley states that he has not
received the check that he sent for to the old
club. Anson states that he has the best
team he ever had. Nearly 20 well-knowr
young men enter for the local amateur loot
race.
Probably the present baseball conflict in
many of its bearings was never more inter-
estingly discussed than yesterday in Al
Pratt's store. Thedisputants were j. Palm
er O'Neill director of the old club, on the
one side and Manager Hanlon and Secre-
tary John Tener on the other. The two par
ties met accidentally and Che feeling dis
PLAYED was of the best as far as good nature
was concerned. Mr.. O'Neill is a fluent
talker and very intelligent gentleman on
baseball matters. His declarations and
opinions make him also an extremely lib
eral minded man. OF course the Beckley
affair was the first subject referred to and as
soon as it was mentioned Mr.. O'Neill said:
Ii.
"WeI, Beckley may have left US. didn't
think that he would, because certainly looked
upon him as an honest man. But if he has
gone say by all means let him stay. would
not either by law or anything else try and in
duce him back; in fact would not under any
circumstances whatever, re-engage him were l
President of the club. No such men are hon.
orable enough for a club that am interested
in."
Manager Hanlon said: Didn't you sign
Beckley when he had already signed contract
with us?'
mo. sir; maintain that he had no contract
with you. He may have signed an agreement,
but even the conditions of that agreement were
not fulfilled by you, so that he had not by any
means a contract with you. He took our
money, and he has used it. think an intelli-
gent public only need know that about Beckley.
We can live without him, and by that don't
mean he is a bad player. He is a good one."
ABOUT THE BROTHERHOOD.
The argument then turned to the formation
of the Brotherhood and Manager Hanlon said:
Now can tell you that there never would
have been Brotherhood at all had John l.
Rogers not been in the League. He was never
2 players friend. and opposed everything that
was fair toward US. His actions caused us to
organize"
Mr.. O'Neill-That is all nonsense. You SAID
that you had numerous grievances, and these
very grievances you speak of have made many
of you rich. The courts have decided that the
reserve rule is no good. We have paid $4,000
or sl2 OOO to find that out and it is worth 1t.
But let me tell you that the reserve rule was
the best friend of the players. Tell me player
whose services were ever sold TO another club
who did not receive more money by the trans
fer.
Mr.. Tener-But were all players transferred
as they wisheds
COULDN'T DO OTHERWISE.
Mr.. O'Neill-Why, we couldn't do otherwise,
because we could not force man to go to
another club against his will and if we did not
want to keep him were bound to give him
his unconditional release.
Mr.. Tener-How about Rowe and White and
Cunning?
Mr.. O'NeiIl-Well, now the case of Rowe and
White was exceptional, because they belong to
a disbanded club, and know little about the
case of cunning. But let me give you an
illustration of that rule Last season we had
Dunlap, and Mr.. Hanlon urged US to release
him, claiming that a cheaper and as able a
player could be secured. We did not want to
do that and we preferred to keep him and try
to dispose of him with advantage to himself
and ourselves. The reserve rule enabled us to
keep him on our list, and it is easy to see that
the rule was advantageous to him as well as
to u.s."
Manager Hanlon-Well, the law has shown
the reserve rule to be illegal
Mr.. Tener-True, but you didn't know that
before no more than did. Everyone of you
signed your contracts fully convinced that you
were signed TO play with US for two years at
least If we desired you.
within the limits of the national agree
ment," remarked Mr.. Hanlon.
A CASE IN POINT.
Mr.. O'Neill-No, no. That was never in
tended. will prove it. A League pitcher,
now a member of the Brotherhood, was asked
his terms last summer by wire, and he replied
that he would play the balance of the season
for $1,000 if he was not reserved and he
requested $3.50 if he was reserved.
The latter price was given him,
and do you think that it would
had been paid had it been commonly under
stood that the word reserve did not cover all
clubs in the country? Let me tell you, how
ever. the beginning and the end of the Broth
erhood. John NJ. Ward is fond of advertising,
and he will manage his wife next winter when
brotherhood good advertising medium.'
Manager Hanlon resented this latter
opinion in very strong terms and SO did Mr..
Tener. Mr.. O'Neill somewhat modified his
statement by saying that it was his own opin-
ion and that he might be mistaken.
THE NATIONAL AGREEMENT.
The national agreement was then discussed,
and Mr.. O'Neill said: Let me tell you that
you cannot get along without a national
agreement of some kind. The present one may
be faulty. but there must be one of some kind.
Years of experience has led up to this
conclusion. The League and the Brotherhood
cannot both exist, because there will not be ma
tional agreement between them. One of US
must go. and if we 90 will get out of losing
business Already have sunk SIS 600 in it and
don't like TO be kicked out / can be bought
out. and will not be kicked out as long as l
have dollar. If the League is downed de-
pend upon it the baseball players will have lost
the organization that has made everyone of
them and they will have lost employers who have
given them many thousands of dollars. ] have
no We will have pood iuSt