Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-01
PLAYERS FRAT"
BUCKS ''COMlSH"
President Fultz Insists Ban on
Writing Shall Not Be
Enforced
TY COBB DEFIES POWERS
Tiger Star to Cover Worlds Series
Games for Chicago Paper
as Promised.

Members of the Baseball Players
Fraternity have locked horns with the
national commission over the writing
for newspapers during the worlds and
city series. David L. FultZ, president
of the organization, yesterday in New
York issued a statement in which he
emphasized that the fraternity would
back to the limit any player who was
under contract to write for newspapers.
The statement of President Fultz
was in answer 20 the ruling of the ma
tional commission in which the latter
disapproved without actually prohibit
ing the players acting as correspon-
dents during post-season baseball
games. In the order issued by the
commission it was pointed out that
much evil has come to the game Le-
cause of the unwarranted liberty taken
in describing the contests, and it was
tn hope and wish of the commission
that no player would lend his name
to any article. The reason for the
order of the commission was that the
majority of player-writers do not write
the articles themselves, but simply
lend their names to the stories.
WAS 1T AIMED AT COBB.
| The order, it was claimed, was aimed
at such noted writer's as Ty Cobb and
Christy Mathewson, who have a large
I following among the fans. Cobb has
! been headliner as writer in sew
eral worlds series, and as he is and
has been the most famous of them all
the commission wished to put a check
on his literary aspirations, even
though he was not personally con-
cerned With either team competing for
the highest honors in baseball.
One Chicago paper contracted with
Cobb before the order of the commits
sion was actually issued. to write his
/ impressions of the worlds series. Be-
fore this paper would accept the stor-
les, however, it imposed the condition
which the national commission infer
entially eXacted-that the articles
must actually be written by Ty Cobb
himself. The letter to this effect was
received from Ty Cobb yesterday and
this letter indicates that Mr. Cobb will
absolutely furnish the material and
write the stories himself. AS the writ
ings of Mr.. Cobb are we'll known, the
readers may expect some of the snap
piest criticism penned by any writer
during the worlds series.
WILL BACK PLAYERS.
In speaking of ball players writing
for newspapers, Mr.. Fultz of the play
ers' fraternity had this to say:
I'VE do not pass upon the status of
the player-author, as in our opinion
that matter rests entirely with the
player and the newspaper itself. But
If our support should become neces-
sary to enable one of our members to
carry out a contract which he had a
perfect right to enter into and which
another has entered into with him in
good faith, we would back him UP to
the limit
President Fultz said that he took
no stock in the reports that the series
would be called off If the players re-
fused to heed the ban against their
efforts as writer's.
The whole question will be thrashed
out next Monday at New York, when
the national commission takes up the
subject for final decision The COM
mission originally 'intimated that "the
penalty would fit the crime" we're the
players to disobey the injunction of
the supreme court in baseball, but the
chances are the order will not be en-
forced this year. and that rule win
be inserted in future contracts which
players must sign.
JENNINGS NOT CONCERNED.
The rule of the commission, OF
course, cannot touch the manager of
the club, and thus it is taken for grant
ed that Hugh Jennings of the Detroit
Tigers will be free to write his criti.
cism of the worlds series games
Dobbs to Take Charge of t7e....
Chattanooga, Tenn, Oct Johnny
InohhG former prnnLIvn. -. a