The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-11
FIRST GUN IN FIGHT AGAINST
MINORS WAS FIRED AT CHICAGO
BIG LEAGUE OFFICIALS REPl.
DATED ACTION OF SMALL FRY.
CHANGES IN DRAFTING
RULES TURNED DOWN.
MATTER WILL Die OFFICIALLY M
CIDED IN JANUARY.

At the Joint Conference Between
American and National Leanua
Rights of the Minor Organization.
VIII be Further CurtaiIed-Presi-
dent Ban johnson Gets Enormous
Salnry-May End in Minors GETTING
Nothing at All for Drafted Players.
Before the American League map
mates had adjourned their annual bust
ness meeting at Chicago the minor
leagues had been handed a fiat turn
down and the salary of President
Johnson was voted to be $4,000 for the
remaining six years of his contract
with the organization.
Warfare in a mild form will be
waged on the minors. and the first gun
was fired at the Chicago meeting. The
changes proposed in the national
agreement which would benefit the mi
nor leagues by raising the price on
GRATED players and limiting the nun,-
Der to be drafted from one cluh 70
announcer was most emphatically turned
ooWn by the magnates, and they in
vested President Johnson with power
10 act Tor the league in conjunction
49, ANN'SAOAicl lfGdSu6 representa-
tive and Chairman Garry Hermann
OF the National Commission.
president Johnson has gone 70 or
clnnatl 10 present the case to Mr. Herr
mann, and will seek to induce him TO
pave President Pulliam of the Nation,I
League given power to act for that
oooy and two executives, who. with
WI. hermann, comprise the commits
sion' VIII officially turn down the mi
nOTS "a
dt cincinnati on Jan. 9.
What johnson Says.
The minor leagues have been give,
eVely tnlIlg IN sight for a long time"
sal SAD PRESIDENT johnson, land apparent
OH. The National Commission will
surely ignore their suggestions for such
changes TO the agreement as are pro-
posed by them, and the agreement will
pc left exactly as it is. If the minors
ooh ike the present agreement thew
may soon find themselves out in the
cold. AT present they are getting
Sto0 for each player drafted. If thew
insist on getting double that amount
the matter will end in their getting
hothlng at all. The major leagues can
easily establish priority of claim on
players wanted from minor leagues.
ana guess some of the clubs would be
quite willing to get all the PLAYERS
they want for nothing instead of nut
tlng up $3.50 apiece for them"
Another rap taken at the minors
was move to completely checkmate
the minors from covering up players.
A resolution was passed preventing
tne waiV1ng of claims to players draft
ed from minor leagues between the
time of the drafting season and Feb.
OF the following year.
Requests for waivers of drafted play
ers or purchased players for services
of the following year shall be allowed
from the time of the beginning of the
draIted season until Feb. l of the fol-
lowing year.
No Covering Up of Players.
The effect of that rule will hinder
minor league clubs from arranging
with major league clubs to draft GER
tain players and cover them up dur
ing the drafting season, and at the ex-
piration of that period secure waiv-
ers and allow the players to event.
ually get back to the minor league
club. The magnates argued that with
more time to investigate young play
ers they would not be as likely to
waive claim on unknown material.
In the matter Of waivers two other
resolutions were passed, all of them
being brought up for discussion by
Secretary Bruce, of the National Com
mission. The first one was:
Resolved, That in the event of any
waiver being granted on any player,
and said player remains with the club
requesting said waiver for a longer
period than thirty days after such
waiver is granted, another request for
waiver shall be necessary before said
club can dispose of the services of the
player.
Another resolution provided that
during the playing season forty-eight
hours notice shall be given each club
by telegraph of all requests for waiv-
ers, and during the non-playing sea-
son ten days notice thereof shall be
given by the latter
During the playing season managers
or club owners, it is argued, can be
reached quickly, and often trading
deals demand prompt action and two
days is considered by the magnates
plenty of time to secure waivers.
In the case of clubs retaining play
ers for a length of time after waivers
have been asked, it is necessary to
get waivers the second time before a
player can be, sold or traded. in or
der that the other managers or club
owners will know whether a player is
to be returned or not.