El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-03-01
BASE BALL IN 1898.
The Annual Spring Meeting of the Mag
mates Making Rules.

mates Making Rules.
The base ball magnates of the Ma
tional League met in annual spring
session at ST. Louis yesterday. To the
base ball world the meeting is one of
the most important that has been heiG
since the game first secured q firm
Judgement in the American heart. The
amount of business scheduled for con-
5ideration is enormous and ON many OF
the questions there is a pros pect OF ex-
C ting debate and close divisions.
First and foremost is the repor5 of
the rules committee, or rather two re-
uorts. Hart and Reach sign one TT port
and Ned Hanlon of Baltimore has
minority report. The prObab ties are
that the main features of the msj ori'y
report will be accepted by the msg-
mates. By this re port a rule is propoS-
ed that with the double umpire system
in vogue one umpire shalt be called
the reieree umpire and the other the
assistant umpire, each to be ASST gned
Is such and Lot change dui ing the psO
gres. Of the game. The referee UNI
pire shall judge balls and strikes, fair
and foul balls, d. els ons at the nome
plate; be the judge of when to play
and when to cali time, and in fact, be
master of the field. TIE assistant UNI
pire's duties shall be simply to give
| base decisions. There shall be no ap-
peal from the decision.
| Not of less Importance is the COL
siderstion of the question Of rOwdy
ball. This problem was thoroughly
| discussed at the Philadelphia meet
| iag in November when the now famous
| Brush esolution was brought up. 1t
| Is the second matter scheduled for cen
sideration at the present meeting.
| The magnates recognize the fact that
the public demand for the abolition Of
kicking and disorder on the field is too
strong to admit of any halfway
measures. The people demand clean
| oall, the magnates recognize the fact
hat unless the demand is conceded the
game will fall into dlsr epute and they
themselves will be the losers. The
Brush proposition contemplates the
lackiisting of players for offenses
| 'gainst propriety on the ball field.
| The penalty is none too severe.
1t has already been agreed that the
season will open on April Is, week
earlier than last year. The schedule
20 be adopted provides for 154 games
for each club. This is the longest
season ever attempted by either the
.eague or the old American associa-
ton, save in 1892 when the same num-
Ger of games were played uuder the
divided season schedule. There is
some opposition to the long season, but
it will 60 through.
| Still another interesting subject is
toe proposed modification In the sys-
| tenn of drafting desIrd BILE players from
minor league clubs for duty in the Ma
| cional League. Under the present ma
tional agreement any league club may
loot minor organization of its emit e
team during a specified period at the
| rate of $500 for each Player drafted
| from class A clubs. The minor lea
cues, including the Eastern, Western
and Atlantic, have petltioned Tor a
modification of the national agreement
prevent the whole sale loOti of
Gneir teams by clubs in the Nationa
League. 1t is proposed that the minor
leagues shall be projected to the eX-
| lent that any national league club de-
| string to buIId up It's club from q minor
.eague will be limited to two playe rs
rom eacn minor league ieam in max
ing Its craft. 1t Is proposed to make
the mod a.. GA apply to the season of
| 1898, although the M nor leagues are
| eq u1r ed 10y eXls ling law to accept tie
present otdlng O1 The nat onal agree
ment. 1t is Understood the National
Lee que - disposed to make reason
able concessions in this dlrec-
| ion.
The widow of Mike Kelley, the ia
nous o.dtime player, is living in New
| YUrk IN poor health and stra1t5ned cir
| cumstaLces. 1t Las been suggested
q, at edcn club in the league contrl-
oute fifty liars year Tor five years
| to her support. Al johnson offers 10
supl lemenG this fund with a persona
contrI button of 300 year. The pre-
sent M -et:ng OF the league will be ask
ed to give lis Endorsement and Spalu
ing, Brush and Robinson will plead the
cause of the widow.