Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-06

y
| DAY by The GAZETTE and touches on sub
| ject which has been talked of recently by
base ball enthusiasts in Fort Worth:
HOUSTON, TEX. Feb. 3. 1892.
| Sporting Editor Gazette.
Although il is rather late, still if a united
effort is made, we can organize a base ball
| league for the season of 1892. We can fix a
salary limit at $500 or $500 and get plenty
of good material. The Northwestern league
has arranged so that all gate receipts are
equally divided We can do the same.
Say we embrace the following cities: New
| Orleans, Houston, Galveston San Antonio,
Dallas and Fort Worth. If your city wants
base ball, act. Either come to Houston
yourself on the 18th instant, or send dele
gate to represent you. Send two or three,
or as many as can come-nO limit to dele
| gates. BY getting together we can at
once organize a league which will last
| through the season and not lose money.
Please let me hear from you ut your
earliest convenience and if you are unable
to attend yourself, get some other base ball
enthusiast to come down TO Houston on the
18th
There are plenty of coed players idle who
will play ball for salaries in keeping with
our gate receipts, and if we pro-rate and
even up the weaker clubs can be main
tanned on a war footing.
myself have plan to submit to raise
money, and nope to see each and every one
to whom this invitation is extended to
hand 'loaded" with suggestions, so that
once more we have an opportunity of wit
Messing good ball and enjoy the privilege of
holding inquests on the umpire's decis-
ions.
Be in Houston, February 10, 1892. Yours
truly, W. r. SINCLAIR.
Sporting Editor Houston Post.
Lovers of the national game in Fort
Worth have been anxious ever since the
demise of the Texas league two years ago
to assist in recognizing that association
and once more launch it forth. The financial
success which attended the clubs that COM
posed the last Texas league was anything
but marked, but with the example of these
clubs before them many in this city think
that league could be sustained through
out the season without financial loss. A
salary limit of $500 has been talked of and
suggestions have been made as to how the
clubs can be made to confne themselves to
this amount During the last years ex-
istence of the Texas league the CLUBS agreed
upon an $500 salary limit, but all know how
the agreement was kept. Some of the
clubs, in fact all, openly violated the COM
pact and engaged players whose high sal
aries ran the limit in some cases up TO $500
and $500. This practice is what GiSin-
tegrated the Texas league. A scheme for
preventing a repetition of these violations
of an agreement, which was entered into
in good faith by those interested, has been
suggested by gentleman in this city who
was an active supporter and admirer
of baseball while the Texas league
one and would undoubtedly avail if it,
should be adopted. It is this. Upon be-
coming a member of the league let the
clubs agree upon a salary limit, say $500 or
$500. Then let each city put up bonus of
$500 as a token of good faith in keeping this
7 IL
is then detected violating the agreement It
shall forfeit its $500 bonus and its member
ship in the league. If this could be done it
would make the playing out Of the season
more certain, and baseball lovers would not
be treated to the spectacle of clubs dis
banding after two or three series of games
as i result of wilfully breaking the salary
limit agreement and employing high-priced
grand-stand players, whose moral standard
is, to say the least of it, not very high.
This plan seems feasible and practicable,
and would certainly answer the purposes
for which it was intended, as no club would
break the agreement with this sword of
Damocles hanging over its membership.
The owners of the Oak Cliff park at Dali
las recently received a letter from J. J.
McClosky, who is in California to the effect
that if some encouragement were offered
him he would at once return to Texas and
organize league to be composed of Fort
Worth, Dallas, Houston, Galveston, Waco
and San Antonio. His suggestion as to
salaries was $500 limit.
The interest that is being taken certainly
warrants the belief that league could be
organized in Texas which would be a finan-
cial success if the shoals that wrecked the
old league can be steered clear of, and this
certainly can be done if good Judgment,
common sense and honesty be exercised in
the management of the clubs that compose
the proposed new association.