The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-15
PLAYERS UNION TURNED DOWN
National League Declines to Con.
slider Contract Changes.

National League Declines to Con.
slider Contract Changes.
| NEW YORK. Dec. 1.-THE National
League baseball men practically declared
! war today against the Players Protective
Association and the new American League.
After celebrating for five days the mag
mates adjourned tonight with no intention
of meeting again until next spring. The
delegates of the Protective Association re-
ceived a shock today when the following
resolution was handed to them by Presi-
dent N. E. Young:
Resolved. That inasmuch as the three requests
made by Attorney Taylor, Of the Protective As
sociation OF Professional Baseball Players. have
| been SO merged in and confused with large
| number of new and radical proposed changes in
| our players contracts. which also affects the
! national agreement that it is impossible to in
telligently diffcrcntiate Them and that the adop.
| ton of such proposed amendments would not only
be prejudicial to individual interests. but would,
We believe. be destructive to organized baseball.
President thinner, Of the Protective AS
ISOLATION, had a long interview with
| President Soden, Of the Boston Club.
thinner informed Soden that the players
we're perfectly willing to withdraw the
proposed changes in the contract. and al
| low the League to act on the oral de-
mands of Attorney Taylor, made to the
magnates in open meeting Wednesday,
| but thinner was too late.
| After hurried consultation, thinner.
| Jennings. and Griffith sent a despatch to
Taylor at Buffalo asking him to come en-
| here at once. At the same time Jennings,
| the secretary, prepared to send out an
| official notification Of the Leagues answer
| to all ball players, members Of the asso-
citation, asking them to stand by their
| pledges and obey the orders Of their lead
ers.
What will the players do now" asked
a reporter of thinner and Jennings.
I'VE intend to take action was the re-
ply, but it will not be hasty or i'll ad-
| vised. As soon as We have seen Taylor
We may be In a position to make a state
ment that will be of interest to the
League and the public. The American
League has treated us much more fairly
than the National League in every par
ticular, but as yet We have no compact
with President Johnson"
Another significant measure adopted by
the League was an agreement by which 1t
shall be illegal for any club to carry over
sixteen players after May Is. There was
good deal Of questioning as to the real
meaning Of this. plausible explanation
came from thinner, who said:
The League thinks that ball players
will fall over themselves to get within
| the sixteen limit by signing contracts con-
trary to the pledges signed with the Pro-
tective Association One Of the League
club owners. on the other hand, said that
this agreement was forced by the poor
business of last season.
He added that salaries would be cut
away down.
When the national board of arbitration
met at the conclusion of the League ses-
sion President F. F. Hickey Of the West
ern League and George Tebeau OF Denver
appeared before Brush Soden, Rogers,
Hart, and Robson with an application
that Kansas City, ST. Paul, and Minneap-
oils. all American League cities last year,
should be awarded TO their league. With
out any pariey the board granted Presi-
dent Hickey's request on the ground that
the American League having declined to
accept the protection Of the national
agreement has no rights in the matter OF
territorial distribution.
The board also admitted the Western
League into class A of the National
agreement, which places it on an equal
footing with the Eastern League. and
raises the drafting price from 5000 TO
81 0G0. BY this action the board made
bold attempt to supplant the American
League in the West. The American
League planned some time ago to abandon
Kansas City for Washington. but James
Manning wanted to keep hold on the
former city, where he has made big
money in the past six years. BY the
board ruling, however, Tebeau receives
the right to go into Kansas City and es-
tablish a new club. This virtually forces
Manning to play ball in Washington or go
back to Kansas City for a fight. In order
to mystify further the American League,
the magnates decided to play next year
schedule of 40 games, beginning April
IS and closing October s. From this it
would appear that the National League
circuit would remain the same as now, in
stead Of being increased to twelve clubs.
But there can be change at any time, if
the magnates see fit to make one.
1t was said tonight on good authority
that certain National League men have
aided in cooking up the American League
scheme with the idea that eventually they
might succeed in forcing the Brooklyn
club into Johnson's circuit. 1t was point
ed out that this was why Johnson has
not yet selected the fourth city in the |
East.