The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-28

chase or sign him. If that club does
not want the player back again, then
the other clubs can compete for him.
This was brought to a head by Provi-
dence's suspicion that Catcher Dixon
was drafted by Washington simply to
be turned over to Minneapolis.
This underhanded method has been
resorted to more than once before and
the dangers which threatened every
club in the same way have been point
ed out frequently by The Union for
years. Now the magnates have their
eyes open.
WHAT THEY CAN DO.
"But 1t is not likely these agreements
will amount to q great deal or VIII
remedy existing evils. Ten or sixteen
magnates can get together in the win
ter, and, by the judlcious use of suf-
ficient amount of mellow fluid can agree
on almost anything. Put these same
magnates into the middle of hot PEN
nant race with losing team and with
public and press clamoring for
"strengthing up" and few If any of
them think or care anything about SAL
ary limits or any other old agreement.
Thus Il is that compacts made to pro-
when these same compacts protect
somebody else, too. To be sure, Presi-
dents Powers and Johnson have been
given the power to demand a personal
inspection of any clubs books at any
time there is complaint of salary limit
violation, but there are so many thou
sand ways of covering up such VIOLA
tions that this will amount to little.
1T is simple matter to sign a
player for 5000 month and pay him
that salary six or seven months in the
year instead of the four or five months
of the playing season. That would be
the same thing as paying him $500 a
month and yet 1t would be living up to
the letter of the law. That subter-
| fuge has been resorted to by some of
the magnates, who have had so much
to say i'm the past about the dishonesty
of other magnates in violating salary
rules.
THAT agreement about players re-
verting to the clubs from which they
were drafted can't be enforced in any
way if violated 1t is not recognized
by the national agreement, which is the
tribunal before which inter-league
| squabbles are settled. Supposing Min
neapolis does get Dixon of Providence.
| Providence kicks and President John
| son or President Powers orders Mime
! apolis to return Dixon. Minneapolis
| appeals to the national board of arbi-
! tration and that body says the deal
| was legal according to base ball law,
! What are you going to do about il
! then?
| SUBJECT OF FORMING.
'1t is worth noting that there was a
very distinct and audible silence in the
reports given out by the COnfeTees on
the subject of farming. Nothing what
ever seems to have been said on that
! subject and it is pretty plain that the
maGnates either decided not to strug-
! gle with it or else found it too tough
a question to settle One thing is GER
I tain. With farming in vogue as at
! present the agreements on salary limit
| and returning players to their OWL
/ clubs don't amount to IA bunch of spi-
mach in a seven-acre lot. Even if pres
! ent agreements are lived up to there
! is nothing to prevent Washington
drafting Dixon from. Providence and
farming him out to MINNEAPOLIS. And
we are all familiar with the way To
rOnto' observed the salary limit last
year by allowing Washington to pay a
part of Lush's salary, etc. And it is
| doubtful if the National league will
tolerate any agreement on the part OF
| minor leagues to squelCh farming. II
would mean the end of their big Strings
of youngsters scattered all over the
country for development and a serious
blow to the National leagues stern
monopoly of all the best baseball tai
ent in the country.
THE proposition for a series of games
between the pennant winners of the
two minor leagues was not favorably
considered and nothing will ever come
of it. If the cup series in both leagues
are allowed to die out, as they should
it will be possible for the two pennant
winners to arrange a post-season ser.
les if they are geographically situated
so as to make it desirable. but there
will be nothing official about it."