Connecticut western news., 1909-04-22
CANAAN TEAM
 MAKES STATEMENT
OPPOSED TO PROFESSIONAL BALL
Directors and Officers Unite in DecIar- ation That the Leagues Life is Ger tainIy Threatened if Present Methods Are Permitted to Continue.
To THE EDITOR OF THE NEws:-


 To THE EDITOR OF THE NEws:-
 Please allow us the space to explain the difficulty now confronting the Housa- tonic Valley Baseball League so that the generous people who dld so mucn for support ot this league last season. may know just the conditions as they now exist.
 About one year ago we decided that it would create a lot of wholesome excite 'ment if we could form a league of the different baseball teams in this part of the country. We started out and drafted some rules which we thought might answer if the different directors did all In their power to see to it that the spirit of the rules as we'll as the strict inter pretation of them was lived up to.
 We, at the very outset, realized that it would be next to impossible to draft a set of rules which would meet all emer- giencies, but we thought and still think that if the different league directors were strict in seeing to it that their different teams should be composed entirely of local boys the league would exist and the public would take that same interest in the league games as it did last year. But it seems this could not be. Ger tain local individuals had to mix in and take the matter out of the hands of the directors. They hired certain indiyid- uals to come Into the town to work and play baseball. Lime Rock started this and Lakeville soon followed, so that at the present tune one of the Lakeville directors admits that he has three men to work for him all of whom have ac- quired reputation as baseball players, besides two or three others who are working in different parts of the village We might add that the manager of the Canaan team has been approached by no less than a half dozen good baseball players during the last two or three months all of whom said that if he would get jobs for them, they would play on the Canaan team. He told them Ill each instance that this was just the thing that we were trying to keep out of this league; that we wanted it strictly local team, one i'll which the people would take an interest.
 We wish to state right here the atti. tude of tue Canaan team, which is that it hopes this season may see repetition of last year. We had good games and they were closely contested and the pub lie patronized them and showed great interest. The Canaan team refuses to go on with the league if this wholesale buying of players is to be allowed, as we 1 feel that it is not fair to the Salisbury or Canaan or Sheffield teams. We wish tc be thoroughly understood i'll this matter We are not objecting because we are afraid of being beaten by these teams We have ever maintained that we would rather finish where Salisbury did last year and have the good name which that team had throughout the league towns than we would to finish aud have the means of our success questioned.
 The position taken by the Canaan team is this,-if the different teams of the Housatonic Valley League wish tc maintain tine standard of amateurism and play local players as we did last year, count the Canaan team in tht league for all we are worth; but il it it the desire of the majority that they play professional or professional ball, SC ahead but count us out.
 We feel sure that professional base ball league will not live any great length of time and for that reason and no other we will withdraw from the league.
 Respectfully submitted,
 s. G. CAMP,
 H. D. REED. Directors of the Canaan Team. RALPH H. STANTON, Captain.