Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-28
THE DIAMOND
jim O'ROURKE
RUBBED HARD
Harry Pulliam Hands Out a Few
Himself More Good Ball
News.

New York, Jan 2S.-President Harry
Pulliam of the National league, sole
champion in the fight for the rights
of certain blacklisted baseball players,
is still piling up material to show the
righteousness of his position in call
ing the National association to ac-
count for adopting a resolution which
he alleges was first intended as slap
at the national commission apd after
ward publicly announced as bit OF
legislation that had no value and was
not much more than a bluff. Pulliam
still persists in his determination to
retire from the National league presi-
dency unless the offending resolution
is wiped out by the National associa-
ton.
Pulliam said Saturday no friends of
his would have to say he had been
untrue to his trust in fighting bat
tie waged to prove that rule was a
rule and that if the celebrated
ORourke motion meant nothing it
should be wiped off the statutes of the
National association.
Should | be victorious" lie con-
tinued, the minor league people need
not fear l will go out on the hilltops
and shout, L did it. What | am fight
ing for and what | hope my success
sor will fight for Is the principle that
a rule is a rule and applies to all
parties alike, whether wealthy owner
or poor player.
open to inspection to all parties
are the letters on the subject that has
caused SO much commotiOn. [ have
been accused of INDUCING in person
alities and many papers have said /
was the man who told Walter Burn
ham he would have to pay a goou
round price for Lew Wiltse. The
communications will show that Mr.
Hermann carried on all this CORE
spondence and l did not figure in it.
yet I am now reaping the whirlwind.
Should l retire from professional base
ball, and it now looks as if | shall, l
will endeavor to put the game on a
free and firm level in amateur and
semi.professional circles.
ITO this controversy there is no
final say, but want to show my let
ter in reply to Jim O'Rourke, which
was as follows:
"'New York, January II, 1908.
James H. O'Rourke, Esq, Bridge
port, Conn.
My Dear Sir: am just in re-
ceipt of your favor of January 16. l
went carefully over every word in it,
and to say that l am surprised is to
speak it lightly. You make good ar
guments, but your arguments are
based, in my judgment, on a wrong
and rotten premise. Although
graduate at law l have never prac-
ticed law, but l say to you that | be-
lieve | can take you before any court
In the state of Connecticut, where /
understand the judiciary occupies
high plane and dispenses justice ac-
cording to law and equity and without
fear or favor. and maintain that the
resolution offered by you and adopted
by the National association in Octo-
Der, 1907. at the Fifth Avenue hotel,
is a blacklist pure and simple and
bars those players that you control
from earning n livelihood forever I'm
2G0 cities in Canada and the United
States
This matter. Mr. O'Rourke. not
withstanding the fact that | may not
be upheld by my colleagues, on the
ground of policy. will not end I'M
til justice is done those men. am
going to get these men justice if 1
have to get out of professional base
ball TO do il.
"'In conclusion-and this is final.
because 1t is needless for you and me
to continue this correspondence-I
want to say that your letter to me
skaters another ideal. The Jim
0'Rourke of 1907 does not occupy the
same place in my mind that the James
O'ROurke Of the sos did when he was
one of the finest ball players our ma
tional game has produced. This is
final and absolute. Respectfully.
tSinged Harry c. Pulliam."