The Washington herald., 1915-01-21
Attempts to Show the
Terms in Agreements
Attorney Keene H. Adding
ton, for Federal League,
Opens Court Battle with
Force.
GRANTS JURISDICTION

Chicago Jan. 20.-The big court bat
! tie between organized baseball on one
side and the Federal League on the
other began in Judge Landis' court
today.
The court room was packed to the
| limit and a great crowd of baseball
| men and fans stood in the corridors
unable to gain entrance.
Immediately after court was called
| to order, Judge Lands asked the at
| torneys on both sides if there might
be 4 question as to his Jurisdiction
in the matter Both sides Immediate
ly waived on this and agreed to abide
by the judges decision in the matter.
keene H. Addington, leading attor-
ney for the Federal League, then be-
gan his opening statement. He at
tackled the national agreement in un-
measured terms and declared the
agreement was clearly for the benefit
of the two major leagues to the detrI-
ment of the minor bodies scattered
all over the country.
The forces of organized baseball
use this agreement" the attorney de-
clared, as a mighty weapon for CLUB
bing all threatened opposition into
line. They even go so far as to use
the blacklist They also use the term
outlaw in classifying a man who
a man a contract jumper who defies
them and goes elsewhere to ply his
VoCa ton"
showed Terms of Agreement.
The attorney then attempted to
show that by the terms of this agree
ment there could not possibly be any
competition from within the ranks of
organized baseball, and said that by
the terms of the agreement the
men who controlled baseball, forever
and ever got control of all the play
ers who sign contracts with them,
whether that player was a mere novice
just breaking into the game or was
the finished star who had reached the
top through his superior playing.
This act attorneys for the defense con-
tend, will knock the principal contention
OF the Federal League galley west for
the reason that the labor of a human
being is not a commodity or article of
commerce
A Blanket Injunction.
1t is a blanket injunction that is being
asked by the Federal League leaders.
Should they win. the fabric of organized
baseball will fall to the ground. The ma
tional agreement under which it operates
will be no more, the national commission.
high court of baseball will pass out OF
existence, and the contracts of all players
within the organized fold will automati-
cally become null and void.
Five attorneys were lined up on the
side OF the organized forces, while three
represented the Federal League. But at
tracing more attention than these. per-
haps. was the large number of baseball
men present at the hearing. Among them
were:
Garry Hermann. chairman OF the ma
tional commission.
B. B. johnson. president Of the Ameri-
can League and member of the com,
mission.
Charles a. Comiskey. OF the Chicago
White SoX
Charles H. Thomas, OF the Cubs.
Robert Lee Hedges. president of the
St. Louis Browns.
Schuyler Britton. president of the st.
Louis Cardinals.
Capt. T. L. Huston, OF the New York
Yankees.
Barney Dreyfus. president of the Pitts
burEh Pirates.
Roger Brcsnahsn. manager Of the Chr
CaEo Cubs.
Frank Navin. president of the Detroit
Tigers.
President James \. Gilmore. Of the
Federal League.
Phil Ball. OF the St. Louis Federals
Robert B. Ward. Of the Brooklyn Fed
erals
President Robinson. of the Buffalo Fed
erals.