The Washington herald., 1914-01-26
BASEBALL WAR
IS NOW ASSURED
Organized Powers Must Hear
a Decision on Reserve
Clause Question.
EVERYTHING TO LOSE
If Legal Battle Resulted in Favor of
Federals. 1t Would Skater National
Commission Authority.
EVERYTHING TO LOSE
Special to The Washington Herald.

Special TO The Washington Herald
New York. Jan. 25.-A war that will
eclipse in bitterness the battle in 1901
and 1902 between the National and Amer
lean Leagues now is certain to be fought
out in the courts between the Federal
League and organized baseball.
Things have come to such a pass now
that the organized baseball. as much as it
shuns the court, must enter 1t, and abide
sy its decision. The fip-iop action Of
Catcher William Killifer, who jumped from
the Philadelphia Nationals to-the Federal
camp and then jumped back to the Phil
lies. after accepting advance money from
the Federals, has caused President James
A. Gilmore. of the Federal League, to
announce that his organization will in
woke the aid of the courts to keep Kill
lifer
In this fight the organized baseball peo-
pie have everything to lose and little or
nothing to gain; the Federals have but
little to lose outside of attorneys fees
and court costs and everything to gain.
Form of Contract.
The legal battle will center around the
validity of the reserve clause and the
form of contracts used by organized base
ball-contracts that many able lawyers
have declared are not legal, because they
bind the player to everything and the
owner to little or nothing.
II the courts uphold this opinion, 1t
will mean the wrecking of organized
baseball-it will mean that the very foun-
dalton on which organized baseball was
built and on which it has existed and
fiourished for so many years would be
ripped away. II the contracts are de-
ciared illegal and not binding, every
player in organized basebaIl-this the
Ia he -x.-;rI
be footloose and he can sign with any
club, in any league that offers him the
best inducements
The Federals already have gone so far,
invested SO much money in their VEN
ture, that IL seems a certainty that Gil
more will carry through his threat to
seek the protection OF the courts with
reference to the contracts. His conten-
ton is that Killifer legally is the prop
erty of the Federal League because he
signed a contract and accepted advance
money. If the court sustains him it will
mean that Killifer must play with the
Federals. or not at ALL
But if the court does not sustain him
il the court holds that a baseball con-
tract is not binding, IL will mean the
immediate shattering of organized base
ball. This is what the Federals hope
for as the result of carrying the Killifer
case to the courts
Many of the Federal League masnates
who have been a bit reluctant about put
ting large amounts of money at the dis
posal of the league today are willing to
shoulder whatever costs may be- involved
In the suit They see through the me-
dunn of this suit their real chance to
become baseball power. They figure
that the contracts will be declared void
and that they then will be able to sign
up many of the stars of both leagues
whom they so far have not tempted with
big salaries simply because those men
we're bound by contracts
A patent has been granted for an ele-
vator propelled up and down a shaft by
an electric motor which drives a shaft
with pinions on each end to engage racks.
Since the new law went into effect about
800 amateur wireless operators have
been granted licenses in the United
States