The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-18
Class D Ball That League is Playing
Should not Cost Nearly as
Much to the Clubs as
it Does.
HIGH SALARY LISTS
Present Financial strinsency is Due
To Excessive Salaries Paid Play
ers-Remedy Looked for
Next Season.

ent financial strigency in the Central
association, the disastrous end of the
Northern association and other class
d leagues, is directly due to extrava-
gance in exceeding the salary limit. 1t
is true that the weather was bad in
the spring and the attendance was
diminished on this account, still the
clubs il the league would be in fair
condition financially had they adj
hered strictly to the $1,000 pay roll
The PROPOSITION Is very similar to that
of a couple with a $40 per, income
keeping three servants. There is al
ways bound to be trouble when pay
day comes due
When the old Iowa league was or
gained the salary limit was fixed at
SS0c. There is no record that this was
adhered to, but the clubs might have
exceeded It to the extent of one thou
sand dollars. The following year it
was deemed advisable to raise the
limit to Saeo, but at that figure 1t was
impossible 10 get the right kind of
ball players. Then the limit was
Eoisted to s1,100, but even this figure
was not aeemed sufficient to get the
talent. Then some OF the wise heads
of the league, after careful deliberation
and study, decided that with a $1,000
salary roll every club in the league
could get good men and at the same
time play even, or perhaps, if every
thing broke right, make some money.
There is no doubt but what their de-
cision was an excellent one and when
the Central association commenced to
disregard this limit it courted disaster
that is now crushing It, The present
salary roll on the Burlington baseball
club as an example is about 81 500. Tt
is said that the Quincy club costs
$1,000, and the Hannibal players sal
aries run UP to almost that figure. OF
tumwa has plunged far beyond its
means, and over in Monmouth the ru-
NOR is that they are paying Lou Drill
$500 per month and the rest of the
club on liberal basis. Galesburg is
not getting it's club anywhere near the
rate prescribed by the league constitu-
ton, and down in Keokuk they have
some high-priced players.
President Justice should not be bur-
dened with the entire blame for this
state of affairs. The culpability rests
right with the league as a whole. The
directors have been warned and they
know by experience year after year,
when they struggled to make both
ends meet, that they were heading for
the rocks. but they shut their eyes to
the danger and plunged ahead regard
less of consequences.
When Manager Geier brought his
club here in the spring he was close
to tie salary limit. It was plainly seen
that his aggregation was simply out
classed by the other teams in the
league He had to strengthen up and
it was difficult task. With the sea-
son over half through, he Is getting
team that is playing ball.
With 140-game schedule, the sea
son lasts about four months and A
half With the $1,000 limit observed
it means an outlay of 81, 500 in salaries
for players. It will readily be seen
where an attendance of $4,000 for the
season II each of the towns would en-
able the club owners to play even.
This is a conservative figure. The Ga
zefte does not desire to place straw
in the way of any bal. player getting
all the money he can. but class D
leagues cannot afford to paw him the
salaries he has been getting in the
past. The $1,000 salary limit gives
young fellows a chance to break into
the game. If they are good enough to
go up, well and good if not thew can
stick in the class D division and get
the class D salaries.