The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1915-01-22
JURISDICTION IN
BASEBALL CASES
FEDERAL COURTS JURISDICTION
is QUESTIONED BY JUDGE
LANDS AT CHICAGO.
Modified Terms Of National Agree
ment Contracts Also Figure IN the
Days Proceedings.

Chicago. Jan 21-The question oil
the federal courts jurisdiction and
the renewed declaration that the Ma
tional and American leagues have SO
modified their contracts that player
becomes a free agent the year after
the expiration Of his agreed term OF
service we're featurs OF todays S.
sions OF the antitrust suit against or
ganized baseball.
Judge lands brought up the ques'
ton of jurisdiction Attorney George
w. Pepper Of Philadelphia discussed
it at some length after the federal
league attorneys had stated their
side of the case. Pepper quoted au'
thorities to show that There must be
federal question involved to obtain
a hearing in a federal court. He de
clared the intervening suit OF Lee
iMagee was not to be regarded and
SAID the only federal question was
tlat in the charge tina, the defense
maintained a monopoly in restraine
of interstate commerce.
Sections of the Clayton law We're
then cited to show that labor is not
regarded as an article Of commerce
and the decision in the Hammerstein-
Metropolitan Opera Company case
was brought in as another authority
on THE same subject
The decision, holding that the labor
~ q a 4
Of commerce, was held by Pepper APP
plicable to the labor Of ball players.
Judge Lands did not decide the
question, and it was said tonight
there was a possibility the case would
| be thrown out Of court.
In his general argument which fol
lowed after Attorney Keene Adding
ton had ended his presentation of the
plaintiffs case and Attorney Quincy
A. Meyers had talked on the iurisdi2
ton question Pepper declared he did
not know what the Federal league
was asking TO have enjoined.
Their grievance is not that We
prevent them from finding the young
ball players on the lots and develop
ing them through training in the vari
Gus minor leagues as we do; they
want to attain in one bound the al
vantage we have gained through ten
years Of labor; they want to profit
from the skill developed by ON
money! he said
Pepper declared there were few
cases Of individual hardship worked
against players by the ten day
clause, the reserve rule and the iudg
ments of the national commission.
ut is noteworthy that neither the
en- day clause nor the reserve rule
were specified by the Ball Players
Fraternity as Objectionable, he said
we admit having made some mis-
takes / do not believe / would have
created an old war horse like Morde
cal Brown the way he was treated
but | ask that the answers of the de
| PENDANTS to the affidavits Of the play
ers be read carefully. The latter
omitted to tell their life story, how
they were brought up from the
minors and the progressively larger
salaries they have received"
Attorney Pepper gave history OF
the game and the formation of the
first agreement between the Ameri
can and National leagues, which pre-
coded the national agreement These
agreements, he declared we're not fol
the purpose of protecting the partie.
to them from outsiders but against
each other.
In 1913 the conditions under which
| baseball was played had recorded a
marked advance, said the lawyer
and the recording angel I believe
viii find a balance to the credit side
of our account he declared
The new rule regarding the option
on ball players services, the attor
ney emphasized, made for his liberty
He is a free agent when he mas
| served one season after the expira
ton Of the term he signs for" he de-
clared,