Evening star., 1908-01-20
President Powers Answers
PuIIiam's Charge.
CLAIMS TO BE IN RIGHT
Quotes Author of Much-Disputed
Base Ball Resolution.
ST. LOUIS REFORMERs LOSE
Refused $4,000 for Chapultepec
Thomas Fights Sullivan Tomor-
row Night-Notes.

row Night-Notes.
President p T. Powers of the National
Association of Professional Base Ball
Leagues yesterday issued statement
giving his side of the controversy that
has arisen over the construction and pur-
pose of a resolution passed last October
by the national association affecting play
ers who jumped to the Tri-State League
when that organization was out OF the
pale of organized base ball.
President Harry Pulliam of the Ma
tional League. and a member of the ma
tional commission. claims the resolution
blacklists twenty-five base ball players
for life and is .'un-American, unjust and
ultra-Russan." During the October
meeting list of the players involved was
made public by delegate to the meeting.
Powers refuses to regard the contro-
verSy with Puiliam as a personal matter
and says it is merely difference of opin-
ion as to the purpose of the resolution.
lie gives out telegram from President
Garry Hermann of the national commits
sion in which Hermann states he Is not
in accord with Pulliam's views.
Powers produces copy OF lengthy
epistle written by James III. O'Rourke. the
author of the resolution. to President Pul-
liam in which o Rourke says in part:
You call said resolution 'un-American.
unjust and ultra-Russan.' Now as to
your reasons for this: Is 1t because you
believe the said resolution is predicated
on an actual blacklist as living fact, ana
of this l had personal knowledge pe1ore
said resolution was proposed and ADOPT
ed? AS to the resolution. it was dtgnifled
and respectful in language. and not IN
tended by the author to offend any menu
Der of the national commission. nor 90
injustice to a single player, whose rights
will go as far as any man In champion
ing and upholding. Mr.. Hermann wrote
me regarding said resolution prior to your
Cincinnati meeting. My reply Is in MS
possession. | assumed same was read Dy
You as we'll as by your associates on the
board. and concluded my explanation was
eminently satisfactory until your letter
came.
by the widest stretch o. the imagine
ton / did not think 1t possible that SAID
resolution was susce ptible to such an In
depreciation asi to discriminate, estaDiisn
and build up and include within Its OPP
Grafton special blacklist of the players
reinstated by the national commission;
Such Is not the scope or purport or Salo
resolution, NOR was it contemplated py
me when said resolution was offered.
Il fully believe as you do. in the rules
and regulations of organized base ball as
because upon them depend the integrity
and perpetuity of the game. believe no
player should be condemned without the
opportunity to be heard, if he so Wills;
adjudged guilty of the capital offense
OF ineligibility unless adjudged upon the
evidence. and the evidence conclusive in
each and every individual case. This IS
only just and fair. and L am confident
that such men as you, having the courage
of Your convictions and the best interest
of the game at heart, will see that no
$ player suffers from the application of this
principle.
I'm conclusion. permit me to say that
said resolution is in harmony with this
sentiment. and that said resolution is
not the father of blacklist, un-
in substance reiteration of the agree
snent adopted by the national committee
and national association at the time of
e1mission of the Tr-State League
Rowers says. in conclusion: IT am
perfectly willing to abide by the judg-
ment OF the men Mr.. Pulliam mentions,
members of the national association,
Chaplin of Rochester. Potter of Buffalo,
oils. Armouy OF Toledo. Sexton OF Rock
Island, Joyner of Atlanta, kavanaugh
of Little Rock, Shiveley of Kansas City.
Carson of South Bend. Ewing of San
were all present at the meeting in ques-
ton and indorsed Mr.. O'Rourke's resolu-
tion by unanimous vote
Have YOU ever tried to imagine Mr.
Fan, how a minor league player feels on
his first appearance in either of the big
leagues? Just ask some busher who has
Jumped from a class d league to the
majors. and he will tell YOU that it's quite
sensation A crowd of 0.OO0 makes the
bush league recruit think that all the peo
pie In the world have gathered to see him
perform In his minor league days he re-
Sarded crowd of 500o as the limit OF
course. there are exceptions to all rules
but generally the new recruits imagine
every eye in the crowd is upon them they
are self-conscious and seem to think that
their success in base ball depends on the
Initial debut. Working under such condi-
.tions generally has a bad effect on the
players showing and many a man who
was joke on his first appearance in the
Dig league has developed into star. The
wise manager realizes the strain the
young player Is working under and takes
NIL things into consideration before pass
ing final judgment. Perhaps no PLAYER
works under a greater strain than the
minor league pitcher. The twirler is con-
tinually in the limalight He has more
opportunities 10 go wrong than the in
felder outfielder or catcher. and for this
reason his work is watched all the more
closely. Good pitchers are not picked up
every day and when team signs a new
one the fans always flock to the park to
see his first performance. Usually the
fans are prone to pass judgment too
quickly. II the youngster gets away
badly in the first inning and is derricked
after the opposition has four or five runs,
he is Immediately dubbed joke Others
will insist that he must have broken into
{ the big league with dark lantern and a
jimmy. On the other hand. let one of the
veterans start game and get hit as hard
as the youngster. Mr.. Fan will be Johnny
on-the-Spot with an excuse. He will as
sure you that the veteran had an off day
that he never works well when a high
wind IS blowing. and that things might
have been different il the shortstep hadn I
slipped up on that pop fly that would have
retired the side. These and a thousand
other excuses will be offered to excuse
the veterans poor showing, which mere
ly goes TO show that there is everything
In having reputation for greatness. 1t
serves To cover up faults nnumerable.
An illustration of how reformation can
defeat itself by too great effort was
furnished by the attitude of the national
commission toward the agitation regard
ing the St. Louis spring series between
the National and American League teams
there. Taking as a marx the suggestion
of the National League owner of that
rity that their spring games be played az
exhibition games cnly instead OF for the
rity championship. crusade was
launched which rapidly was creating the
impression that there was something
crooked in sight by the continual repe-
,tion OF invectives against exhibition
games. This was unintentional per-
haps. but IL defeated the purpose, which
might have been accomplished IL the