The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-10
BASE BALL CHANGES.
President Shiveley Would Lengthen
Season and Raise the Glass.

President ShiveIey of the Western
association has made two important
announcements to his managers with
regard to matters which will come up
at the next meeting of the organiza-
ton in Kansas City on January 26.
He suggests the Iengthening of the
playing season from 126 to lao games.
or Is days, such as is being done in
the American and National leagues.
IF the towns of the circuit aggre-
gate total population of 200, 900 peo-
pie" he continues, I'VE will probably
advance the league from a class D to
a class c organization
The latter is naturally the more i'm
portant- 1t means that the Western
association will have the same recog-
milton in the eyes of the baseball world
as the Western league. 1t means fur
Their an increased salary limit, through
which means higher class players can
be employed, which will decidedly
raise the standard of the playing% If
the advance to class G is made, the
Western association will take place
just enc notch beneath the American
aSsoCia ton.
The prime thing upon which the
change is contingent is whether the
eight towns in the circuit will have
According to the 1900 census, which
follows. the total is 155,411. Okla
homa City. 1O,o37; Guthrie, 10,0O6;
dalia, 1921; Springfield, 2S,267;
Leavenworth, 2O,7S5; Pittsburg, TO-
112.
But in four years the eight towns
mentioned, by assuming that Guthrie
and Oklahoma City will both be in
the league, as President Shiveley fig
ures on, the total population of every
one will have increased sufficiently to
bring the total figures up to the 2OO.-
600 mark. Oklahoma City is now
reckoned in round figures as having a
population of $4,000 people and Guth-
RE. 900. The other towns have all
IN,
is little question but what the Ma
tional Association of Professional
Baseball clubs will be very willing to
accept the Western association as a
The following is taken from the ma
tional agreement with regard to the
salary limit:
Article 10. The monthly maximum
salary limit of the several leagues, per
club, classification of which is to be
governed by article "a, shall be as fol-
lows:
For clubs in class A, $4,000 per
month on a basis of 3 players.
For clubs in class B, $1,000 per
month.
For clubs in class c. $1,000 per
month.
For clubs in class D, $500 per
month.
Article "a mentioned in article IS,
which speaks of the classification of
leagues to be governed by the aggre-
gate population of the cities repre-
scented, is as follows:
Glass A, 1.0O0,00O; class B, 100000
to 100000; class G, 100000 to 400
600; class D, up to 100000.
If President Shiveley carries into eff
feet his two propositions the people
who have been clamoring for Topeka
to go into the Western league, will
find that they have an association of
the same class. There are a great
man. players loose in the baseball
world who are just too weak to make
the American association and too
strong for the aggregations such as
the Missouri Valley was last year. If
the Western association enter the C
class, it will mean that these players
will be paid as good salaries in the
Western association as in the West
ern league. 1t is said, by Western
league papers, that not a few players
in their circuit are holding out from
signing contracts, until they see what
Shiveley'S organization will do The
western league is not satisfactory be-
cause OF its unstable financial condf-
ton in number of the towns, and a
great many of the players are more
than willing to try a new bed.