El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-04-15
Baseball Factions Claim Victory
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View Situation From Variant Angles
BY E. w. CoCHRANE.

. clause is invalid it is certain that q change
viii take place before long and an effort viii
be made to sign up every major league play
to new contract Aagnatcs OF the ma
iOrs and big minors cannot afford to 10 9TH
erwise. If they DO not take these precau-
tons there viii be little for talent with
high salaries as the method Of warfare and
the players viii profit by club owners losing
fortunes. Not only the major and big
minors, but the Federals as well, cannot az
ford a war Of that nature.
X
The Federals are claiming victory in the
Killifer decision because the old reserve
clause is declared invalid That may restore
to them such men as Williams, Baumgardner
and Banding, who signed contracts, but
were held by the old clause. It is certain
that the organization" does not care 70
fight for players held IN that manner be
cause they will make no attempt to prevent
Joe Tinker from playing with the enemy.
Yet there Is another way to look at the
situation as regards the jumping Of Bland
ing. Williams and Baumgardner back to the
majors Their cases are identically the same
reserve clause signed with the Federals and
then jumped back to the American league.
AllllIer old TINS ana the Judge heIu mat
ne could not be enJolned from playing with
the Phillies II he cannot be- then how can
they enjoin Williams and Bauugardner from
playing with the Browns and Banding from
playing with the Naps2
The case Of Earl Hamilton, Brown south
paw, who jumped to the Packers, is also
different from the rest. He had a three year
contract which had two more years to run.
lie jumped n contract ana not a reserve
clause. Therefore a legal battle in this case
should show whether the old style contract
was valid but even that would affect few
players, because most of the men in the
majors today are signed to new form Of
contracts approved by the Players Fra
ternity.
Whatever the result Of this controversy, it
Is certain that war cannot continue at the
present rate and all the magnates now in
terested in baseball stick to the ship. There
is money in baseball but not enough 50
that magnates can afford to split the patron
age and double or triple salaries. Players
wages were considered at the top notch be-
fore the present conflict. But salaries Of a
year or two ago did not compare in any
way with the wages being paid this season.
= =
Should all court decisions be in favor of
organized baseball considerable strength will
be taken from the Federal league and only
under such a condition can the ''OrRaniza-
ton hope to remain at with the in
vaders and then only for q year or two.
which conflict will be very expensive. They
may make an effort to wreck the Feds"
but should they fail it is highly probable
that some sort Of a peace agreement will be
reached within the next six months. Organ
lied baseball Will not take the Feds into
the fold unless forced to and the Feds" will
not enter unless they feel that il is best for
the success Of their league.
1t is a safe bet that after all parties con-
cerned pay the freight the next six months
OF battle, they will be perfectly willing to
have peace and salaries set.