The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-01-16
National Commission Chairmz
Traces Organization OF Amer
lean and National Leagues;
Tells of Feds E6orts
SAYS PLAYERS APPROVE
THE RESERVE SYSTEM
Leagues Do Not Claim Abeolute
Title To Players, He
States

CHICAGO. Jan. l6.--Denial In toto
OF allegations made In the petition
OF the Federal league 10 Judge X. NJ
Landis that he declare the NationaI
commission and the National and Am
erican leagues trust was, contained
In an affidavit by August Hermann,
National commission chairman, hled
today Hermanns affidavit was fled
with 2S other afiidavits OF baseball
officials and players. In answer to the
Federal league suit. VA
Herrmanns affidavit traces the ex-
pansion Of various western clubs In
to the American league. aid OF east
ern clubs into the National league.
All baseball players are not under
the domination and control" OF the
national agreement, he says, but'each
player is under control of the club
with which he has contract. Leagues
do not claim any absolute right or
title to any baseball player. ~.
He defends the reserve system. .de-
claring players as class approve,
| IT," He answers affidavits OF Morde-
cal Brown, William ID. Perritt and
Lee Magee, and cites their having
signed the Players Fraternity re-
quests, and In none OF the complaints
was, objection made against the so
called 10-days' notice or reservation
The affidavit covers Ga printed
pages. In a supplemental affidavit.
Hermann relates an attempt of the
Federal league, through NJ. z. Can.
tillon. TO enter organized baseball. NJ.
4 Of tha
apolis Baseball and Athletic associa-
tion. wrote him Sept that while In
Chicago he met some of the people
interested in the Federal league, and
that they said that they thought the
Federals could be gotten to fix up
on six conditions
One OF the conditions was the elm
ination OF the draft" and refusal te
accept the others was urged, Herr
mann alleges, because IF this feature
were adopted 1t would prevent bal
player from advancing in his profes
sion by expertness and skill, as con
templated, and accomplished by ma
tional agreement provisions
! Correspondence between Herman
land Chas. Weeghman. OF the Chifeds
also Is given.
| There has never been any real on
lection made TO the Today clause BY
any player, and. so far as my knowl
edge goes, the baseball players fra
ternity never made any objectionsF
was Charles A. Comiskey's testimony
in an affidavit In which the Chicago
White Sox owner tells of his baseball
history. Il offered to take the Today
clause out of Hal Chase's contract
but he would not consent TO IL. The
only demands that We make upon
! players is that they do the same thing
we do. live up to the contracts. Per
haps. the plaintiff says, there are not
enough OF the expert baseball players
to- go around, but IL is untrue that
players are under the domination OF
the clubs, | deny that false statsy
ments and threats have been made for
ltheL purpose Of harrassing and injur
ing the plaintiff and it's constituent
members"
The "Old Roman" says he nrst play.
ed ball as pitcher In the Milwaukee
l"Alerts" and related the organization
OF the Western league with Ban b.
Johnson, then sporting editor OF the
lCincinnati Commercial Tribune, and
the late Matt Killilea
| Robert l.. Hedges. st. Louis Amer.
lean head tells of alleged attempts
OF Federal league scouts to sign con,
tracts with HIS players
"As soon "a / learned what Hamils
ton had done. %he states. speaking OF
Earl Hamilton's jump 10 the Kansas
City Feds, II visited him in his home
In Oswego. where his father and I
showed him the wrong he had done"
He refers to Hamilton as the boy
and says he doesn't know whether
the Kansas City Feds gave him $1,000
as a special inducement TO break his
contract. or whether Il would be cred,
tied as part OF his salary!
Since the organization OF the Fed
eral leagues, the Pittsburgh National
club has been seriously embarrassed.
hampered and injured fro mtime to
time by raids made and attempted by
the Feds" says Barney Dreyfus, OF
the Pittsburgh Nationals. IL
Others who filed afidavits are John
A. Heydler. Ban p. Johnson, Michael
r. Cantillon. Charles W. Somers.
Clark G. Grifith. Stephen c. Cusack.
William r Baker. Connie Mack. A.
c. Mills and Frank J. Navin.