Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-11
.ENC[|SHMEN BEGINNING TO
WAKE Up ON ALL ATHLETICS
Duke of Westminster Appeals to His Country
men to Help Him Raise 100000 to Develop
British Candidates for 1916 Olympiad

1t is easy for a winner to say he
made no effort" but if he goes on
making no effort and practicing the
sefindulgence Of twenty years ago,
there Is a younger, sturdier N>1
race that will push him off the atm
letic board or awaken him to a good
purpose.
"Ihe ginghdm doo md the rnvico cat
Side by side at the table sat;
T1cas halt past ttcelUc tana Uhat do
VOu think!
Nor one nor t'other had slept a aoink,
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese
plate
Appeared to knoW as sure as fate
There Wds going to be terrible
spdt!"
Comments on Federal League.
The protest onal baseball ranks are
more excited than for years. Be-
tween the Federal League POSSIBLE
tiles AMI the Players League de-
mands, it looks as if We should have
an interesting time of it while the
snow is still on the ground Until
the time when it was shown that the
Federal League really had signeG
and Brown, and that these salaries
were guaranteed by a bonding COM
pany, there was a great deal of
skepticism expressed about the color
of the money that was really repre-
sented in these agreements.
= 1t is now said that each one of the
Federal League clubs has bonded
itself to the extent of S25, 900. and the
Chicago Federal League club is al
ready advertising for bids for the
construction Of a cement and steel
grandstand on grounds that have
been purchased on the North Side, in
most ropulous center. at the COR
ner of Sheffield and Addison streets
AS the National League grounds are
on the West Side and the American
League grounds on the South Side,
both of them miles distant from this
new site it looks as if the position
was a good tactical one. The hackers
Of the scheme are located in St Louis
Pittsburg, Baltimore, Kansas City.
Indianapolis, Buffalo, Toronto and
Chicago.
Can the Federal League get eight
clubs made up of men who can really
play major league ball? The very
existence and demands of the Piay
ers' League show that there are many
ball players who are dissatisfied, but
If we have a general uphsaval. whom
will the result benefit or inipre'
Does johnson Welcome War?
Are we to have n repetition o. the
bitter ba seball fight of many years
ago, becomes thus the question taat
Is interesting managers, players and
the public AS a New Year st ate
ment. President Ban Johnson. of .he
American League, is reported to be
ready to welcome the issue. believing
q bitter war needed to correct many
of the abuses that have grown into
the game-among them. extravaganza
and wastefulness of club owners and
players. and the continual demands
for higher salaries He predicts
disa strous year for the sport. and
says that the evils that have crept
into the National Association of Base
ball Leagues will not be eradicated in
any other way than by such a fight
in one or two lean seasons.
Meantime, the attorneys are be-
ginning to line up on the question of
the legality of the present reserve
clause in the players contracts the
Federal League attorneys threaten
ing to fight organized baseball as a
trust under the Sherman antitrust
law if any injunctions are sought
against the players of this so-called
outlaw league" while John Conway
Toole, who drew up this reserve
clause, affirms that 1t is binding and
will be declared so when 1t comes
before the court for a test He
claims it is merely the application Of
we'll established legal principles, COW
ering:
/. Parties competent to make an
agreement
2. Something to agree on.
3. A sufficient consideration for the
bargain.
The question is whether contract
specifically providing that the en-
ployer has an option on the mans
time for the next year. the employer
paving the player a certain portion of
the salary, as a direct consideration
for this privilege of reserving the
player, can be questioned.
Claims Big Leagues Trust
Whatever be the final decision of
the courts, Edward f. Gates. the at
tornev for the Federal League, claims
that organized baseball in the So
called National Agreement" has mo-
nopolized the baseball business, at
tempted to crush competition and by
tying up clubs and players. from the
largest down to the smallest leagues,
made 1t so that the ball player can
not play with any competitor what
eoever and that the clubs can say,
1--WE have you under reserve. We
will not play you on our team this
year We will sell you to another
club at a large profit and they can
play you" and that in this the con-
tract lacks mutually and is against
public policy.
Altogether, 1t looks like a merry
fight.
The PLAYERS claim that they have
been imposed upon to an inhuman
extent. and they have, through the
PLAYERS League, risen up to demand
their rights
On an Aspinwail steamer. tne
third day out, a passenger applied 10
the purser for a sleeping berth. PRAY,
tell me-" asked the purser, where
have you been sleeping these last
two nights" "Oh, on top OF sick
man. but lie got better and won
stand it any longer.
Thus the nlavers claim they will
stand the impositions no longer,
Through their president, Dave Full 2,
thew make some seventeen distinct e4..
mands the most vital relating to con-
tracts.
Copyright by Otis r. Wood.)