Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-03
TO WARN PLAYERS
AGAINST JUMPING
National Commission Will
Caution Tossers Against
Breaking Agreements.
JOKER IN new CONTRACT
FEDERAL LEAGUE OFFERS
Would Reserve Players for Ten Years
Without Promising Any In
crease Of Salary.

Without Promising Any In
crease of Salary.
Official cognizance Of the fact that ii
has been attacked by the Federal
League will be given by organized base
ball next week. This it is reported, will
be in the nature of a warning from the
National League to the players OF the
major and minor leagues.
With numerous players alleged to have
received offers from the Federals to jump
their contracts. the commission, it is said
by Jack Ryder of the Cincinnati En-
quirer. who Is in close touch with Garry
commission. will tip off the ball tossers to
the fact that they are taking a long
chance in going over to the enemy.
Veteran players like Tinker and Brown
can afford to make the leap from the
ranks of organized base ball They have
reached or passed their prime. and at best
could look for very few additional sea-
sons in the ranks of the majors.
With the young players. however, it is
oiHerent. They have, in the ordinary
course OF events, many years of service
left in their systems. One false step now
NAV ruin their careers. OF course, il the
FEDERAL League should make good the
jumpers would be in clover. But if the
organization should go Ep in smoke the
men VINO deserted the ranks of organized
base ball would be in a sorry plight
once they leave the ranks of organized
base ball. 1t Is reported that they will find
the door shut to them should they ever
try to return TO the fold.
Conditions Different Now
Conditions are greatly different from
what they were when the American
League invaded the east Then the Ma
tional League was in disrepute, owing to
rowdy tactics of certain players and the
constant jangling of the leading magnates
and because of other evils which had
crept into the organization.
Inc American Leaguers were welcomed
In the east by the fans. There was talk
or what would happen il players jumped
their contracts with the Nationals but
Mesrs- Johnson and Somers carried fat
pocketoooks. It was a case of money
ers carried the day.
Now there is no wild demand for a
cnange on the part of the public The
fans are fairly well content. Base ball Is
today run on far higher plane than it
was fourteen years ago. Salaries have
advanced all along the line Rowdyism
Is far less in evidence and the general
tone of the national pastime has been
elevated.
In addition. where the American League
has only one major organization to fight.
the Federal League has two strong major
leagues, backed up By scores OF minor
leagues, to pit it's strength against.
Big Money to Tempt Player.
Furthermore, it will take far more
mono to tempt a major league PLAYER
today than it did fourteen years ago.
this being due to the fact that much
higher salaries are now in force The
day. too. when the public was content to
witness base ball contests from wooden
stands has gone by. The cost of EQUIP
ping a modern playing field is now sew
eral times greater than it was when the
American League expanded.
There is also far less territory open to
the beiiigerents. The American League
found several old National League cities.
unpTovided with base ball clubs and none
with more than one club. Baltimore.
Washington and Cleveland had been
abandoned by the National League, and
the fans or these cities yearned for lea que
bail. Then there was Detroit which
longed for the major league brand.
They babe the invaders a hearty well
come The Cry at that time was that
no city was big enough to support two
major league teams But the American
Leaguers had an idea that the fans of
cities like Philadelphia. New York, Bos-
ton, Chicago and 81. Louis wanted base
ball every day for about six months. The
argument that two teams in such cities
would not pay was soon proved to be
fallacy.
All Big Cities Occupied.
To secure a playing circuit the Federal
League has not been able TO find any un-
occupied territory. All of the big cities
from Boston 10 Kansas City and from
Montreal TO Louisville have their league
teams. To establish a circuit the Fed
erals have had to double up in several
cities. and in Chicago and St. Louis they
have to face opposition from two major
league clubs
IL will take pile of money-more than
the American League had to spend-to
win success in the present fight OF the
Federal League, and public sentiment is
not so strong for another major league
as il was in 1901.
The base ball players are, after all
merely the pawns I'm a war between
leagues Ii is not for the love of the
player that new leagues crop up. The
American League did great things for
the ball players. but other wars. partic-
uiarly the one started by the Players
League, proved just the reverse.
Federal Leagues Contract.
Two years of successful fighting by the
American League, during which the Ma
tional League was hammered into sub
mission, proved TO even the owners of
the former that the Nationals form Of
contract was pretty near the right thing.
The American quickly inserted a reserve
clause in its contract after peace was
declared with the National League.
The Federal League, which is now
raising a cry against the reserve clause.
will undoubtedly follow along the same
line sooner or later, provided the or
of its swaddling clothes.
Indeed. il is claimed that the FederarS
contract already contains a clause re-
serving the player II is admitted that
the clause in the major league contracts
giving the club owners the right to re-
lease player upon a ten-day notice
is already In the Federars contract.
The Cincinnati Enquirer says:
Point to Bear In Mind.
a well known player, who was think
ing Of accepting an OFFER from the Fed
eral League. was careful enough to read
over the contract sent him section by
section before making up his mind to
attach his signature. While glancing
over the various provisions his eve
lighted on paragraph 10, and his atten-
ton was Immediately arrested This
paragraph contained the provision that
he could be reserved. year after year
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