The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-18
Baseball Paper Defends the Argument
Against Bonding Of Clubs to OBJ
~ serve the Salary Limit
lin the c. A.
DISCUSSED AT MEETING
Idea Was Talked Over at San Antonio
Meeting and at the Meeting
of the National Com
mission.

An argument against the bonding
of clubs to observe the salary limit
in the Central Association is set forth
by the Keokuk correspondent in the
Sporting News last week and is given
it has in all the minor leagues. Fol-
lowing is the Sporting News article:
Arguments presented by the Sport
ing News Keokuk correspondent in OBJ
lection to the plan of President Justice
Of the Central Association for bonding
clubs with surety company to OBJ
serve salary limits will be found OF
general interest by minor league mag
mates, inasmuch as Mr.. Justice is
chairman of the committee appointed
at the San Antonio meeting Of the Ma
tional Association to suggest plan
! for compelling observance of salary
regulations, and it is understood that
| the plan he has advocated for his own
| league is the one he will propose to
the Association committee.
The main point in the argument
against Mr.. Justices bonding plan is
i that it would involve, in case of viola
tions, proved or alleged, suits in court
! to collect the bond giyen-since no
surety company would make payment
i without legal test of liability-and
that this would be contrary to the
established rule of organized baseball
to keep its disputes out of the civil
courts.
i The point is we'll taken. The idea
, was advanced both at San Antonio and
in later conferences with the Nation
Eary regulation should be in the hands
OF central baseball body and that,
J in order that it could inflict penalties
for violations, clubs should be com
} PEELED to post cash bonds with this
central body as guarantees that regu-
lations would be observed
Tie collection raised to this plan
was that it might entail hardship on
some of the clubs in smaller leagues
to compel them to deposit any consid-
cradle amount of cash. that money
| in hand is not so plenty with them that
they can make permanent deposit
OF even few hundred dollars: that
: they are at the limit of their ready re
e sources when they have furnished the
+ forfeit money usually required by theil
Q own league organization.
This might raise the big question
of whether it is wise policy to ad
S nit into the ranks of organized base
il ball at all clubs or leagues which ar,
1 on such an insecure financial founda
u ton that they are unable to pos
g nominal guarantee funds to insur
g observance of the pledges which the
a presumably give in exchange for Pre-
lection, with all the advantages G
contracts respected, territory guart
ed, etc.
. The National Association has foul
/, ished greatly in recent years: league
= have grown up over highland die
=. as quickly. Some of them have lei
:, bad debts, players salaries in arrear
Z and contractors holding unpaid bill
h. for lumber. These failures reflect III
a on the National Association as
!, whole. The Associations strengt
il should not be in numbers alone, but
quality, and it were better had som
of its league members never bee
born than to have brought such di
- credit upon the name of organize
- baseball.
- Violations of agreements mac
y among clubs regarding salary limi
are bad enough, but violations of plat
business obligations are even wors
The national board has had to hand
lg as result of some of the wrecks
it last season number of cases whe
Id players brought claims for salari
r. due. Some of these were satistie
ed in whole or in part, through the di
ne tribution of draft and purchase none
"a but in many cases players are still u
I'll paid for their last seasons work.
ne The board was understood to ha
ly adopted policy that where any CT,
Re OF league had defaulted the enti
ST. league organization should be held
ly sponsible and no protection would
ks granted to the territory until t
va league concerned had squared the ;
ut, counts of defaulting club or clul
a but that policy does not seem to ha
- been maintained: circuits are bel
nd "reorganizedp on the uncleared wre,
of age of the old, apparently with t
he conviction that protection is to
"a granted by the National Associate
This policy, as 1t was announced
10, the National Association, was o
he -------
Continued on page 1o.)