Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-06
NATIONAL COMMISSION HEARS
EeAN's PLEA AND FAvoRS
THE MUSkY PILOT.
DECISION TO FOLLOW
MEETING IN NoVEMBER
Veteran RuIo Diserlminates Against
Players, According to Commission
Eean pisres ards Agreement of Mus
caeine Club III Effort 20 Secure =
Favorable Ruling.

Declaring he was robbed Of the
Central association pennant thru the
enforcement Of the five veteran" rule
Ned Egan manager OF the Muscatine
baseball club, has appealed TO the ma
tional commission to have the decision
of President Justice, which directed
that thirty six games won by the Mus
kies be thrown out because of violation
of the rule be overruled AS result
Chairman Hermann, of the comission,
has advised President Justice that he
cannot throw out the games.
President Justice, however, is stand
ing pat on his original decision and is
carrying out the wishes of the directors
of the league by enforcing a rule adopt
ed by the league. He is merely per-
| forming his duty as executive head OF
the association. and has notified the
| local management that the awarding Of
| the pennant must await a review OF
| the case before the national commits
| sion at its annual meeting in Novem-
| ber
! Meanwhile Narshalltown will be rec
| ogniZed as the pennant winner thruout
| the circuit. Muscatine, however, has
| declared that as result of Mr.. JUS
| tees decision they will have the presi-
| dent ruled out of organized baseball
and shall see that all those having any
| connection with the protests be duly
| punished by the national commission.
| 1t now appears that the case will in
volve many questions of vital impor-
i lance 20 organized baseball and its
| outcome will be watched with interes:
| turnout the country.
Position Of National Comniss ion.
TIE national commissions decision
| was 70 be expected 1t has ruled on
| similar cases in previous years. one
case in particular arising in ne At
lantic League, three or four years ago
| in which the conditions were very SINH
lar TO those Of the Muscatine case.
| The commission contends. and per-
| haps justly, that the so-called vet
eran" rules, many forms Of which have
| been adopted thruout the country, dis
| criminate against the players. In op-
! posing the "four-yeteran" rule of 1914
and 1915, the Marshalltown directors
| brought UP the question of discrimin-
alton. among other things, believing
| that the rule was not just one.
| If all managers were perfectly aon
est there would be no need of adopting
rules restricting clubs to the employ
ment of three four or five men from
| leagues OF higher rank. but the desire
to perfect winning organization often
results in managers overstepping me
salary limits set for the minor leagues
by the national commission 1t s with
| tho ipt pf
airy rolls that such measures are taken.
Mere Scraps of Paper.
| When the Central association faced
ruin, owing to the length to which
managers were permitted TO go to
strengthen their teams, the directors
began to cast about for some manner
of holding the players wages within
reasonable limits. 1t developed that
| several OF the clubs We're running from
5000 to $500 a month beyond the limit
| for Glass D leagues. and II was pro-
posed that in order TO reduce expenses
the managers be prohibited from sign
ing more than four veterans, or play
ers who had been in leagues higher
than Class D for more than thirty
days. Marshalltown opposed this rule
for various reasons, but it was
adopted. In 1915 the rule was again
adopted, with Marshal!town dissent
ing.
Manager Egan, however. was greatly
in favor OF the rule at that time and
insisted on its enforcement after it had
been made a part Of the bylaws Of the
association.
Last January an effort was again
made to do away with the rule, Mar
shutdown and Waterloo being opposed
to the measure as it then stood. AS a
consequence the five veteran" rule
came into being, and in it's adoption
Marshalltown came near letting the
bars down by Shining into the rule a