The San Francisco call., 1897-09-21

PEELED, presumably, because they played
an exhibition game at Sacramento on
Sunday, which, the committee contends,
was against the rules gov erning the tour
nament.
There are those, however, who openly
assert that the Gilt Edge and Reliance
mines, being the two strongest organiza-
tions in the tournament, were expelled in
order that the Bushnell-Alerts might
stand a chance of winning the $1,000 OIL
fered by the yellow journal managers.
Last night Cal Ewing deputy County
Clerk of Alameda County and a gentle
man who has spent much money in the In
terest of baseball, and has no pecuniary
interest whatever in the present tourna-
ment, SAID:
"Our team went 10 Sacram ento to play
an exhibition game of baseball with the
Gilt Edges To show you the consistency
of the management of this tournament in
in ter preting the rule that no two teams
shall be permitted to play an exhibition
game, | would like to call attention to the
fact that Sacramento and Los Angeles
PLAYED an exhibition game in Sacramento
on September Is. This, mark you, was
prior to the Los Angeles team withdraw
ing from the tournament. Ii this COM
mittee were honest why did it not expel
Sacramento and Los Angeles at the time
The rules OF this tournament have been
altered from day to dav to suit the caprice
OF the management.
Last night meeting of baseball man.
ayers was held in Will & Finck's store
The tournament committee, in expeling
the Reliance and Gilt Edge teams, offered,
at he suggestion of Mr. Prngle and Mr..
McNeilI, per cent addition TO the
competing clubs, making their compensa-
ton Is per cent of the gross receipts. TIE
clubs represented were the Will & Fincks
and California Markets of this city, the
Heesemans and Reliance of Oakland and
the Gilt Edges of Sacramento.
All those present expressed regret that
the Reliance and Gilt Edge teams had
been exuelled from the tournament
Charles j. Heeseman, prominent mer-
chant of Oakland, strongly advocated that
the clubs live up to this agreement:
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. ID.
We, the undersigned, agree not to play base
ball at Central Park during the Examiner
tournament of 1897 unless the basel ball COM
mittee OF the Examiner baseball tourname mt
pays to each and every team N the tourna-
ment an amount equal to 20 per cent of the
gross receipts.
We furthermore agree that if we do not
receive the 20 per cent as aforesaid that the
teams whose managers sign this agreement
will stand together for the season of 1897 and
will not play in any league unless all teams as
aforesaid are included in said league.
JAMES j. fAGAN tOhlf hdTketSI
E. KAPLAN (Will & Fincks).
H. A. WALTON (Reliance).
]. C. HANNA (Heesemans).
This agreement shows why the Gilt
, Edge and Reliance teams were present at
the conference. "Unless ali teams as
aforesaid are included in said league"
means much to those who have signed
the agreement 1t was the consensus of
opinion that the Reliance and the Gilt
Edges should be reinstated and that the
20 per cent stipulation should be held in
violate, or else that all the clubs should
withdraw from the league ana form an as
sociatiop.
1t was first given out that the Will &
Fincks and the California Markets would
ignore this contract ana go back on their
pledges. But there was no truth in the
rumor. To-day Manager Fagen of the
California Markets and Manager Kapian
of the Will & Fincks will hold another
meeting with the tournament managers
at the meeting last night Cress Unger.
president of the Velodrome. offered the
grounds of the association to til mana
gers of the several clubs. Mr.. Unger
stated that he could place them in condi-
tion in short time.