Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1913-02-28
real | ! I. ! OBJECT ] / j: o.
BASEBALL 5. J UNION
Aim Of Players Fraternity Is
to Increase Salaries.
WILL DEMAND IT LATER.

=
Men Haven't Asked For Representa-
tion on National Commission or
More Pay, but Will In All Probability.
May PrecipitatsE Another War.
BY TOMMY CLARK.
More money-that in brief is the
explanation Of the Baseball Players
fraternity, the organization which is
supposed to be seeking an uplift in the
profession
Such moves are recurrent in baseball
About once in every baseball genera
ton, if the financial condition Of the
game seems to warrant it, the players
come forward with demands for re-
forms, chief among which has always
been the request for larger proportion
Of the emoluments of baseball.
But once, in 1890, did the players en-
deavor to enforce their demands by
actually going on strike. but that is all
that differentiates the Brotherhood re-
volt from the Union association move
ment of 1884 and the Players Protec-
tive association of 1900.
The first of these movements. the
Union association of 1884, though
frankly capitalistic in it's organization,
nevertheless owed portion Of its
ephemeral success to its espousal of the
cause of the ''downtrodden" players.
;. The Brotherhood movement six years
later was the most serious attempt
on the part of the players to control
the financial end Of baseball yet made.
Prior to the revolt the organization
had been limited altogether to players
under contract to National league clubs.
When the men went out they took
with them many Of the stars Of the
American association. But they failed
in, their effort to control baseball main.
ly; because they failed to make the
league pay. and, with their hackers,
consequently lost heart.
The Players Protective association,
formed ten years later, never amounted
to much. Coinciding, as it's organization
did, with the war between the National
and American leagues, the players OF
that day lost sight completely Of mu'
tual aid or anything else in the mad
scramble after fat contracts. ~.
The present organization asks openly
for the better protection Of the players
while on the field. There can be no
objection to that. They have not as
yet demanded representation on the
national commission, as it was an.
nounced they would when the associa-
ton first took definite shape last Sep
TENDER, but this demand may be forth
coming later.
They have not made many financial
demands thus far, but that this fea-
ture was uppermost in the minds of
many who have subscribed to the or
ganization was shown last summer,
when in discussing the matter the
players said that a demand for half
pay on training trips would be asked in
1913. No mention whatever Of de:
mands as to salary increase was made,
except by some of the Detroit players
while on strike last May.
At that time several Of the striking
players said that ''the magnates are
getting it all, anyway, while we are
getting nothing" That the other
players on the Detroit club would have
struck for the sake Of either Cobb OF
the principle involved in the attack
made by that player upon spectator
in New York is quite unlikely. They
sought rather to terrorize the magnates
into giving them something and failed
utterly because of insufficient organiza.
tior. ... ~
Should any attempt be made to strike
at the. present time such movement
would necessarily result In failure. Or.
ganized baseball is far more strongly
fortified today than it was in 1890,
when the unsuccessful Brotherhood re.
volt occurred. e But It Ii not likely that
players in the light of past expert.
ences and with so wise Il head as Dal
vid Fultz leading the association will
attempt any movement Of this sort. at
least until they have. extended their
orga nizatiop. to at least as low a.
Class B. ~ $50, $500. ~
Then. II; a considerable percentage
;of their members do not succumb to
tempting offers sure to be- made By
the magnates of the two big leagues 10
event of strike. they can go out with
some reasonable prospects Of success.
A. strike under existing conditions
would he almost necessarily fatal.
-. - 5s5.9S rs, 20.