The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-27

closed Mr.. Somers had secured the
Huntington grounds in that city. With
equal raDidity grounds were leased In
Philadelphia, in Washington and in Bal
tinore and inside of a month thirty
seven National league players had been
induced to sign American league con-
tracts.
jimmy Collins, the crack third base
man of the Boston Nati&lal league club,
was the first player to go over to the
American league, then in rapid success
sion President Johnson and his men
signed Stahl, Freeman, Lajoie, Bern
hard. Fraser, Jones. Lave Cross, Fultz,
McGinnity, Seymour, Williams, Howell,
N1cGraw, Carnicl1 Mercer, Clark, Mertes,
Callahan, Griffith, Sullivan, Piatt, Hugh
Duffy, Garvin, Anderson. Barrett, Har-
ley. Holmes, Yaeger, Gleason, Bradley,
Scott, Taylor, Mccarthy, Young and
Criger. To Lajoie was paid a salary of
$4,000, and no sooner had he signed with
the American league than John I. Rog-
erS proceeded to take the case into the
j PENNSYLVANIA courts.
Lajoie was permitted to play with the
Philadelphia Athletics during the season
| of 1901 pending a decision of the court.
/ but when the case finally came to trial
an opinion was handed down pronounc-
| ing the optional clause in Laioie's Ma
/ tioral league contract binding Iajoie
was accordingly shifted to the Cleveland
/ National league club. where he finished
the season of 1902. So successful had the
American league been in it's expansion
4 to the east that, when last season began
arrangements had been made to invade
! St Louis. and Collins, Duffy and Crit
fifth went out or. the road and proceeded
to sign another batch of National league
players. including Padden, Wallace
H l7is Burkett Powell, Harper
Red Donohue, Kehoe, Tom DAILY
George Davis. Strang. Green. Eddie
Mcfarland, Mcclure, Flick, Hickman
/ Warner. Monte Cross, Hartesell Joe
Kelly, McGann, Delehanty. Townsend
Ortiz and Wolverton. twenty-five in all
making total of sixtytwo players taker
from the National league ranks in two
years In order to secure these mer
salaries were boosted away up.
The old National League salary limi
| of $1,000 was a mere bagatelle, for thu
American League contracted to pay sal
aries ranging from $4,000 to Sc, 600 yea
thereby shouldering a load which tn
National League men said would wrecl
the new organization. But the QUALITY
| of ball played by the American League
was of such popularity that the gam
drew immense crowds, especially in tn
cities where the National League hat
been in control. and President johnson
was correspondingly happy Following
the adverse decision in the PennSylVa
MIA courts in the Laioie case, came tn
breaking up of the Baltimore club Johl
T. Brush and Andrew Freedman foun,
a willing ally in John McGraw. an,
with a cash payment they succeeded il
players for the New York club, a NOV
which made the Baltimore franchise, a
far as the American League was con
cerned, null and void. This was stag
gering blow for few days, but Iohn
son jumped into the breech, patched u
the Baltimore team. declared the fran
chise forfeited and the America
League finished the season according t
the schedule
The breaking up of the Baltimore cIu
proved a boomerang to Brush and tn
National League, for it paved the wa
for the American League to enter Ne1
York city. Had the Baltimore club re
manned intact. the American Leagu
would probably have been compelled [
pay $4,000 for the franchise. Under tn
rules the Baltimore franchise enable
the American League to go in here scot
! free, thereby establishing a rival to tn
club, which in the meantime had pass
ed from the control of Freedman t
, Brush.