Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-07-21
BASEBALL PLAYERS
Continued from Page one)

to be held here tomorrow morning In
an interview this afternoon, Johnson
stated that the American League was
not concerned in the technical or legal
aspect of the Kraft case as it involved
the National League.
He said, however. that an order call
ing for a strike of American League
players. if carried out, would cause the
immediate closing of all American
League baseball parks until such time
as the players agreed to return under
such conditions and penalties as might
be imposed by the league.
Every club owner in the league. ac-
cording to Johnson, is a unit on the
question and will not permit players
or the players fraternity to interfere
with or dictate to either the league
executives or the individual club own
erS
President Tener of the National
League was absent from the city to-
| da" and Secretary John A. Heydler
declined to discuss the case.
Players Most Harmed
One baseball authority tonight was
! responsible for the expression of the
of the entire American League circuit
would prove most disastrous from a
4 financial standpoint, to the bali play
ers than to the baseball magnates. The
payroll of the American League is re-
ported to run well over 100000 a week
and according to this authority the re-
ceipts have, not been up to the stan
! dords of other years and the magnates
AI1,.@ g. r.
now than in more prosperous season.
FuItz's Statement
President Fultz of the Federation to-
night issued lengthy statement de-
! filming the stand of. the Players Fra
ternity. 1t declared that the Cincinnati
! agreement entered into between the
/ players and the major league last
] year had been violated by club owners
! dozens of times and that few mag
+ mates have not even made pretense
of living up to the agreement" He
added that players had been released
without the required preliminary no.
| tees or suspended without pay and
no reason for their suspension had
been assigned, and that Secretary Far
rell of the National Board of Arbitra-
ton to whom five or six cases Of play
ers' claims had been submitted, had
not acknowledged receipt of any of
them.
Weeks ago. said the statement, 1--WE
requested of the commission that the
matter BEE arbitrated, but the request
was not even replied to. We stand ready
to arbitrate Mr.. Johnson says he will
close his parks rather than crawl Mr..
Johnson will close no parks. He says the
boys are bluffing. The boys are not bluff
fing, but, on the contrary. are in deep
earnest and will most assuredly back up
the board of electors in whatever move
it see fit to make"
President Fultz denied emphatically
that he had the power to call a strike or
walkout of the members of the players
fraternity. He said that this authority
was vested in the board of directors.
No Federal Backing
The idea that the Federal League was
in any way backing the players of the
federation was secuted by National and
American League magnates today. 1t
was the general contention that the new
organization could not provide places for
the majority of the players of either
league at anything like the salaries they
are now drawing. and that these players
would not enter the Federal League ser
vice at a reduction of salary
1t appeared to be the belief of the fol-
lowers of baseball that the Kraft case
would be settled by the acquisition of
Kraft through purchase by one of the
he
case to a board of arbitration.