Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-26
ABELL'S BOLD KICK.
he Says the Brooklyn Club Will
Ignore the Thirteen Rule.
THE LEAGUES UNFAIR METHODS.
Strong Condemnation Of the Plan of Re-
ducing Players Salaries.
CONTRACTS SHAMEFULLY BROKEN

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArCH.I
NEW YORK, July 25-There will be some
surprises in the baseball world when it
becomes known through the columns of the
papers that the Brooklyn club will abso-
lutely ignore the 13 limit agreement made
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel meeting last
month. Attention has already been called
to the fact that Mr.. Abel, of the Brooklyns,
refused at the time of the meeting to vote
for the reduction plan, and he, for the
Brooklyn club, cast the only vote against
it Neither did he permit Mr.. Byrne as
President of the club to sign the agreement.
Very recently the newspapers generally
have been wondering why the Brooklyns
did not prune down its team to 13 men. 1t
has IA players on the pay roll A great
deal of guessing has been INDUCED in as to
which player would have to 60, and Catcher
Tom Kinslow was fixed upon as the sacri-
fetal offering.
A few days ago Mr. Abel, of the Brook
lyn club was questioned regarding baseball
matters, and during conversation he said:
Mr.. Abelps Plain, Statement.
''You may say for me and for the Brook
lyn club, too, that no player now under con-
tract with us will be released unless he
should give some cause tor such action.
The Brooklyn club did not sign that 13
limit agreement, and frankly told the gen.
tlemen of the League at the time that we
would not be governed by it No power on
earth can dictate to us, under the present
constitution and bylaws of the League, how
many players we shall carry OH our pay
roll. We have IA now, and 50 long as they
continue to play good ball we will continue
to have them. IT Lovett gets ready to sign
tomorrow We will add him to the list, pro-
vided he accepts our conditions. Should we
want to carry 20 men during the rest of the
season there is no power in the League to
prevent our doing so, provided we pay sala-
ries promptly, fulfill our contracts and do
not neglect our dues to the League treas
ury."
Then Kinslow will not be released?"
"Not unless he gives US cause. And let
me tell you that when the Brooklyns do re-
lease player that player will be free to
sign with any club that may want him. I
will never be party to any agreement or
plan which pretends to release player and
vet leaves him tied hand and foot at the
mercy of some other club with which he
must sign at that club terms or remain
idle. Just say that much for me and put
me on record. ="
elbow about reducing your players sal
aries?"
Will Not Reduce Salaries.
"We are not in that deal either posi-
lively refused to take part in it. When we
signed our men last spring We insisted on
each player taking cut from his 1891
salary. We had hard time to bring some
of the boys down, but they all fell in save
Lovett Well, sir, we will live up to those
contracts. never have repudiated con-
tract in my life aud I don't propose to
begin now at anybody's dictation. Our
players will draw every dollar of their
salaries for which they signed, provided
they play satisfactory ball. But all are
contracts for 1898, shall ask every player
to take a considerable cut. I shall ask
them to be as fair with me as I am with
them and meet me as met them in this
affair. think they will do it. And I'll
promise them whenever the club makes
money their salaries will be increased with
out their asking. Oh, yes, realize that
salaries were too high, but they should have
been brought down in fair way"
"Then you consider the action of the
League in that respect unfair?"
"Well, will say that in no business but
baseball could contracts have been repudi-
ated so shamefully as these were. Do you
know of any business wherein employees
could have been, or would have been,
treated in that way? am what they call
sporting man.. but if made any such prac-
tice in my business I'd have to close up in
less than year.
'Then you do not exactly like the recent
actions of the League?"
II certainly think their policy has not
been above criticism. Why, there is
great deal said about the queer methods of
the old American Association. ] have been
a member of both organizations. and con-
fess that, so far as my experience goes, the
square as the Leagues"