The evening times., 1896-03-12
YOUNG TO MINOR LEAGUES
Wholesome Advice From the
Veteran President.
SOUND POINTS EXPoUNDED
What VIII Become of the Sma Her Or
ganizatiOns n They Carry Out Their
Threat to Fight the National Agree
ment-NiiI Learn More About Base-
ball by Experience.

predict right here that nothing will come
of the meeting. read a dispatch from st.
Joseph, Mo-, in which President Hickey OF
the Western Association is quoted as say
ing that he ravors Il war to the knife be-
| tween the minor leagues and the National
| League.
He says the minor leagues paid $4,000
for protection last year TO the National
League. If Mr.. Hickey will reduce that
amount onc-half and add $500 he will have
| the correct figures. As this business is
transacted through my office, j speak by
| the books.
Il have here in my dra wcr as much money
to be paid the minor leagues for drafted and
T, released players as all the minor leagues in
the country paid for protection last year.
| COST OF DRAFTED PLAYERS.
"Hereare che cks for So 800 that the Louis
Vile club is To pay for releases and drafts.
And hereare the Wagncrs' chccksfor 81 900
that the Providence club receives for Rogers
and McAuley. Here you have a check for
500. representing the purchase of Harper's
release from Rochester by Brooklyn. This
check for 5000 pays for Main release from
the Lewiston club of the New England
League by Boston. Grand Rapids OF the
|
for Pitcher Gore, and here is a check for
81 900 that Manning ufKansas Cit receives
for Pitcher Hastings. Manning also gets
| ST 900 from Boston for Catcher Bergen.
Now, in the face of all these payments,
| why do these minor leagues howl over the
protection price? Why, the price, $1,75O,
paid by Pittsburg for Gore alone, is al
most three times the amount that the
I "a fxr
protection, which is $500, and not 81 200,
as Mr.. Hickey states.
The Rochester club of the Eastern League
receives 500 for Harper, or 500 more
than that league pays the National League
| for its membership under the national
agreement.
In short, the National League pays the
minor league S5 in the drafting and release
of players to the 81 paid for protection by
these minor agnes. II the minor league
were deprived of this protection and each OF
them was conducted without any law or
| agreement what would result? Why, play
ers would switch from club to club and
| ruinous competition would boost the sala-
ries SO high that collapse would surely fol-
low. Take, for example. a winning club
in a minor league depending upon several
another club manager with an offer of
more money than these pa yersare receiving.
MEN WILL JUMP THEIR CONTRACTS.
with no la to punish or agreement to
! bind them these men will jump their clubs
and during the course of the season they
would be liable To jump club after club. Do
these minor league people who threaten to
secede from the national agreement appre
ciate this fact? One of the most disastrous
blows ever administered baseball was the
break In the agreement during the old
Association League fight, which was not
caused by the League.
These minor leagues who want to break
away from the national agreement have 4
perfect right to do so. That is their great
American privilege. The National League
is not begging minor leagues to come in out
of the rain. Perhaps a taste of shifting for
themselves would give some OF them bitter
experience that would result in their being
mighty glad to return To the national agree
ment.
Baseball furnishes 4 curious insight into
human nature. The average baseball man
of one years experience thinks he knows it
ALL And after five years at it lie begins TO
think he has lots to learn.
Mr. Hickey, so / read, favOrs what he
calls strong, independent organization
of the minor leagues, which shall black
list pla yers who shall desert to enter what
he calls the bigger leagues, and place its
own price on players who are in demand
by the major leagues. Now, is that the
sort of protection that will protect?
COMPLICA TIONS SWOULDARISE.
why, it would give rise TO complication
OF bubbles between the minor leagues,
and the players would be jumping about
from club to club at pleasure. Besides,
what protection would it afford them from
the National League in case the major
league took it upon itself TO pay
the minor league players more money than
the minors could afford to pay? And
we would he forced to that issue If We
needed players.
But, as l said before, the refractory
minor leagues are so decidedly in the mi
lority that do not believe the meeting in
Washington OF the dissatisfied ones will
amount TO anything. ! will pay no at
tention to them. If they come to me for
an audience win simply point out to them
that the National Board has done its
work, and those minor league presidents
who do not desire to abide by that work
have the privilege OF retiring from the
agreement and the protection it affords
ITO offset these kicks over the agreement
is the grea tsatisfaction among minorleagues
in general. New leagues are forming
all over the country, and they want to pay
for protection. The Cumberland Valley
League is one of the latest. 1t consists of
four clubs. They will come in under the
lowest classification. and it costs them but
$40 to protect their four clubs. II they de-
velop any players they will be paid $50 for
the draft of each one. The national agree
ment, above all things, believes in one prac-
tice, and that is the natural promotion of
player to the class in which he naturally he.
longs"