Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-15
BALLPLAYERSARE
SLAVES. HOFFMAN
Former Cub Outfielder Sues
Club for $4,000, Alleging
Breach of Contract.
SAYS MEN ARE CHATTELS
Declares System of Peonase Exists
and Men Can Be Kept
Out of Jobs.

The regular professional baseball |
contract-the link which YIELDS togeth- !
er the great chain of organized base |
balls to be tested in the courts.
Arthur F. cartier Holman, for
mer outfelder and utility man Of the !
Chicago National league baseball |
team, yesterday through his attorney, |
Roy D. Keehn, filed suit against the /!
club for $4,000 which he claims is due !
him as back pay through failure of |
the club management to notify him OF
the termination of his contract
Hofman's suit is an attack on the |
validity of the regular baseball con-
tract in that he charges q system of
practical peonage, by which the player
is handled as a chattel Through this
system, according to Hofman's suit,
baseball players may be "blacklisted"
and kept from earning living at their
| profession unless in perfect accord
with the club owners.
! CALLS AGREEMENT IRoNCLAD.
| The system, Holman alleges, holds
its strength through the ironclad
agreement existing between each and
every club owner in the National,
American and other leagues operating
under the national agreement"
An example of the peonage charged
by Hoffman was pointed out by Attor-
/ ney keehn. The case was that of
Larry Chappelle. stellar outfielder of
the Milwaukee American association
club.
Mrs. Agnes Havenir owns the Mil
waukee club said Mr.. Keehn. she
decided to sell Chappelle and went
about it in much the same manner as
a farmer about to sell a prize steer.
She advertised among other baseball
tclub owners fer bids for her prize.
The bids were opened today 1t is
said, however, that the bid of Owner
Comiskey OF the White SoX has been
Of such size as to practically end all
other negotiations. But the player-a
thoroughly human man-is to be sold,
just as negroes were sold before the
Civil war; to work for a new master"
CONTRACT MADE PUBLIC.
- a contract binding an individual to
such conditions as Holman declares
exist under the regular baseball con-
tract is held to be invalidated through
its self-contained control of the play
ers life.
Through Hofman's suit the regular
contract of each and every player with
the Chicago National league ball club
is given to the public for the first,
time. Holman filed a blank contract
as part of its bill of particulars.
IN addition to the regular contract,
Holman declares that he signed a set
of Articles of Agreement" by which
he was bound to agree to the rulings
of the national commission and The ma
ltiOnal agreement (Of the club owners).
He quotes a paragraph of this set of
|, articles, labelled Section TO-" as fol-
lows:
1T is further understood and agreed
!, between both parties TO this contract
!; that they will respect and abide by
, the constitution, rules and edicts of
J such league, subject only TO an appeal
! for final adjudication to the national
commission and also respect and abide
| Dy all OIL the provisions ana conditions
Of the national agreement and rules of
the national commission"
CLAIMS CONTRACT BREACH.
| In detailing the specific case by
which he claims $4,000 damages. Hof-
man declares that ne was injured in
June, 1911, by being hit on the head
with a baseball. The injury, Holman
declared, entitled him to a "loyaff'' Of
Is days to recuperate. In spite of his
injury, Holman says, he played on, at
: the orders of the club management.
The injury affected his playing, Hof-
man continues, TO such an extent that
the Chicago club management sent
him to play for Pittsburgh. Holman
says that he never received notice of
the termination of his Chicago con-
tract, and therefore claims full pay
during the life of the contradiction
April, 1911, until October. 1912.
Not only did the Chicago club refuse
to pay this back pay, and fail to give
release notice to entitle them to this
refusal, Holman says, but the Chicago
management even prevented his sign
Ing articles of agreement with another