Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-01
Some Opinions Regarding the Pres
ent Baseball Trouble and
Contract Jumping.
MAGNATES ARE THE VIOLATORS.
Baseball Players Bound to Protect Them
selves Against Conflict That
Means Ruin to Them.
METHODS OF TRAINING PUGILISTS.
Present Ideas Decidedly Wrong and q Great Change
Must Be Msds

IL lu DdseUdll LUG great WdE lud1
the American Association inaugurated has
been thoroughly started, and judging from
the events OF the past few days if the "war"
lasts much longer we will need a microscope
TO see what is left of the Association. Every
day is proving that the Association anarch-
lists began their "war" without duly consid-
ering the good advice that was once given
TO a certain young man when starting out in
lie. 1t was: Beware of entri nee to a
quarrel. There was more of it of course,
but the portion mention if duly regarded
would have been extremely valuable to the
deluded OF the Association. Generally
speaking the weeks doings has shown
that there cannot really be a war, that
is, a real genuine thorough going
war. We couldn't very we'll think of a
fight between an elephant and spider;
whatever bombastic and awful intentions
the latter might have it couldn't accomplish
anything agains: its bulky opponent. Just
SO with the League. 1t need only stand
and issue DEGREES, and how the Association
can prevent the carrying of them out is
something that have yet to learn. 1t GER
tainly must have already dawned on the
minds OF the band of disrupters that to try
and wreck the national agreement is task
far beyond the power OF the American Associa-
tion. even though the latter be led by such lat
ter-day wonders as Irwin. Barnie. Won der Abe
and others. Organizations banded together
under the national agreement remind me of the
words written by ST Donatus centuries ago.
These organizations are:
In war triumphant; unmatched in peace"
Some Features of the Trouble.
The trouble caused by the mad actions OF the
Association has brought to the front several in
teresting features during the week. One is the
signing of National League contracts by players
vino had already signed Association club con-
tracts. This move on the part of the players
has caused the advocates of the Association
and disorder to hold their hands up in holy
horror and preach all kinds of homilies ana
morality, honor and fairplay. This. indeed. is
all very, very funny to me, and reminds me
very strongly Of the little boy who forces a
quarrel with the intention of demoliShing his
opponent and complains and cries when he is
hit hard. The Association set out with the full
and terrible declaration that II would pulverize
the League; indeed. the Association magnates
gravely told US that they had burned the
bridges behind them. Doubtless these mag
mates, on the impulse of the moment. really
believed that amid the hurrah DOZENS of
great players would rush to their aid only TO
get even for the slaughter of the 2. l.. The
Association wiSeacTes were mistaken; sadly
mistaken, because not only did they not COM
mand any \. l. players of note, but their own
star players began to wash their hands of such
fanaucal and stupid company as the Associa-
tion magnates we're showing themselves to be.
Then comes the whine of these magnates. and
then comes their frothy and affected pleadings
in the name of morality anu honor. Oh, ye
generation OF, won't say vlperS, but hypo-
critics. In the estimation of these people the
Only honorable part that the League could have
taken was to stand passIvely and have its head
Knocked off, Well as a result We have had
any number of illusions and rodomontades
about the dishonorable work of contract jump
ing. propose to discuss that matter to-day,
and l propose TO show that pl yerS who were
signed by tie American Association and who
have subsequently signed with The League,
have done perfectly right; that their conduct is
highly moral; that 1t was a matter of duty, and
that all the violations of morality, CT it may be
ethical science was absolutely on the part of
the Association maCnates themselves. Now
let us discuss the matter Ialrly and fully,
About Contract Jumping.
In dealing with the question of signing two
contracts, as in the case under discussion, 1 Law
no claim 10 a legal knowledge of the matter. l
shall merely deal with it from the standpoint
OF individual right as far as common sense no.
tions of fair ana honorable business rransac-
tions are concerned. As way of fully illus
trating the question: will take the case of
kuauss, who has been signed by Cleveland
knauss signed with the Columbus club, fully
assured that he would have The protection of
privileges: nay his contract particularly speci-
fed that But shortly after knauss had signed
that contract the Columbus club, among Others
emphatically throws the national agreement
and its protection" and privileges to the
players to the four winds. The Columbus club
goes further than that it even assists in running
that national agreement entirely. There is no
doubt at all about the matter. because the CO.
lumbus club and other clubs tried to outrival
each other in telling to the world
what they had done. But Mr.
knauss observed all this; he saw a
very great and serious change in the new con-
ditinns compared 10 the conditions under which
he signed the contract. He would naturally
say to himself: why now didn't sign with
the Columbus club to participate in another |
fight; did sign with the intention of shut
ting myself out from the protection and priv
neges'of the national agreement The people |
who signed me have in nv own way of think
ing, broken faith with me; they have violated |
their contract with me and am in duty bound |
TO protect myself" ! claim that that is a fair |
statement of the position, and also claim that |
it Is unanswerabie. knauss was dishonorabIy |
fooled by the Columbus club, and as l will show |
presently, he was like other victims of tie SUBJ
terfuge of the Association magnateS. Being |
hoodwinked and tricked in such contemplate
way what was the duty or knauss? What was |
his night? Why TO repuuIate the altered con- |
ditions and to directly identify himself with the |
system, the national agreement system, which !
he believed was for his general benefit and from |
which such questionable efforts had been made !
to sever him. |
A Matter of Right
And because Mr.. knauss chooses to ignore |
the new conditions which had been brought |
about without his consent and directly con- |
trary to the conditions under which he had |
signed his contract, and because he made up |
his mind TO sign another contract with some |
body else that afforded him all the protection |
he wanted we are told that he is 'dishonor- /
able contract jumper" Good heavens! Has |
man to be dragged into conflict or fight |
with no hope of victory and only to be ruined |
for life against his will? Has he to be forced |
into absolute ruination in direct opposition to
the conditions to which his name and also the /
name of his employer are attached? If he has /
the intelligence and the manhood to resent this
offspring of feudallsm is he 'dishonorable
contract jumper 2" By everything that is fair
that is honorable that is moral, and by eyery-
thing that protects . man from the usurpation
of his individual rights he is not. Knauss, like
many others, is making living by playing base
ball. 1t is his duty TO look to his future well
fare and if be thought that by remaining with
the Columbus club under the new conditions of
anarchy he would be running his future he was
perfectly JUSTIFIED in turning back and looking |
for better company. He had contracted to 60
so far. and SO far only. But when the Colum-
bus club determined 10 proceed further than |
the point named in the contract, Knauss be-
came satisfied that it was unsnfe to go there,
and very wisely declined. But his determina-
tion to part company with the revolutionisIs is
with a condition that clothes all |
his transactions in the purest honor He points
out that while, in his opinion, his contract with
the Columbus club has been violated by the
latter, inasmuch as he will be robbed Of pro-
lection that be bargained for, he is quite will
ing to have the matter fully tested by q legal
tribunal and il that tribunal decides that he Is
still bound by his first contract he will live up
say the same thing. Well. now tell me, you
who are daily singing in Pecksnif1an tones
a bout the inlQuities Of contract jumpers. say.
tell me does not this condition Just referred to
arfIa oil OH m ri al I |