The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-29
Copyright, 1910,
by The Reilly Britton
Company.
All Rights Reserved.

! have taken advantage of flaws In the
arrangement The principal abuses of
the system have been by major leagues
taking players from lower class leagues,
not for themselves, but for other clubs
of lower rank with which secret agree
ments have been made. The injustice
to the players is apparent IN all such
arrangements. Tho drafting laws give
the player no voice in his own career.
Not only must he go where he is
ordered, but must accept whatever sal
AIRY is offered him by the club which
drafts him. The growing practice of
the larger leagues IN . offering recruits
in the minor leagues is another fertile
cause for COMPLAINT.
Each league is empowered to regulate
its own affairs and further, TO fix salary
limits Nearly all the low-class leagues
have written agreements limiting the
amount that may be paid in salaries
per month to players. On their face,
agreements such as these would seem
an intolerable Injustice TO PLAYERS, but
as n matter of fact, little cause of com
plant is given the players, as usually
eight clubs in each league violate the
agreement almost as soon as signing il,
The strength of the organization that
rules the players and clubs was tested
within n short time after the adop-
tion of the national agreement when
players, rebelious at heart, commenced
to demand non reserve contracts as the
price or signing any contract Many
players proposed to sign the regulation
contract for term of years provided
they were not reserved and were made
free agents at the end of the contrac
tual period. The commission ordered all
clubs to sign players under nothing but
the approved form OF contract. contain
ing tho reserve clause Players who
were in demand still insisted upon non
reserve contracts, and many received
contracts with the reserve clause
stricken out The result in many cases
was peculiar, for AT the end Of the con
tract term the player discovered that
instead of being free, he still was un.
der reserve. The commission had made
a law which said:
'Where the contract contains
reservation clause. the player shall in
no instance be held to he free from
reservation unless the clause is stricken
from the contract. -
The players then discovered that. in
stead of striking ont the clause. the club
owners had presented them with con-
tracts in which there was no printed
reserve clause, and that the law Of base
ball SAYS:
''Where the contract does not con
tain a reservation clause. every club,
player unless the contract itself con
tains written stipulation that the
player is not TO be reserved -
Some players discovered they had
been reserved by trick which in any
other business would be held as fraudu-
lent and that he still was chattel of
the club which, he thought. had agreed
to set him free. And there was no Ohio
river cakes Of ice over which he could
escape.
The administration of baseball law is
peculiar. There are several cases re-
corded in which players, who accept
terms, report, and play even one game
with clubs, then refuse to sign the con
tracts offered, become the property of
that club, subject to perpetual reserva
tion.
Nor in baseball law is it necessary
for player 10 sign contract, or enter
into any agreement TO become an asset
of club. In the case of a. A. o 'Brien
OF The lion. \. Y, club, the supreme
court Of baseball ruled on the subject.
- Bnen played with lion, but refused
TO accept any contract, and, after play
lng for time, left the club to attend
10 more profitable business In spite of
that fact. lion placed him under reser
yatlon, and accepted the draft price
from the Philadelphia Athletics in pay
ment for the pIayet. The national
To lion, that Philadelphia had the right
TO draft him. and barred O 'Brien from
any voice in the matter.
In no case, as far as the records show
has the question of the Justice or in,
justice of the salary offered been taken
into consideration by the court in de.
Gliding cases. The club itself is made
sole Judge Of salaries and that has
opened the way TO injustice. In sew
eral recorded cases players have been
offered less than half the salaries paid
them the previous year. There was ono
major league pitcher who received
$1,000 season. In a game he hit the
manager of another club three times
with pitched balls, finally iniuring him
severely. The manager accused him of
hitting him purposeIy. Two years later
the manager traded for the pitcher,
offered him salary of $500, explain
ing that he was getting revenge, and
drove the man out of baseball.
Only the bitter rivalry between club
owners. and the desire to satisfy play.
ers and keep them satisfied in order
that they viii do their best work. pre-.
vents wholesale horizontal decrease of
salaries in the major leagues, where the |
combination rs most powerful.
The players do not oppose baseball |
law, regarding some final court as |
necessary TO the welfare Of the game |
IL Is the frequent abuse OF the power |
and It's use to oppress that foments the |
rebellious spirit among the players. One |
constant source of friction is the rule |
governing reporting for spring train.
ing Many players have other bust |
ness interests and object 10 spending |
six weeks training, without pay, when |
the time might be proftably occupied. !
Their contracts require them to report
at a stipulated time before their sal |
aries begin and special laws providp |
heavy fines for failure to do So Re |
Gently laws have been enacted by the
to prevent players from en-
gaging in games out of season. the club
ownors desiring TO retain absolute con.
troll over players for the twelve months
of the year.
The complaint of the players is not