The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-30
PICKERING FOLLOWS
PEACE IN BASEBALL
issues Stirred Up i'm
Reconstruction Period
Tries Tempers.
TENER Is NOT WORRYING

Peace after every great war is fraught
with chickering's and rumors Of more
WARRIOR everybody. including the van
pushed. is usually looking for some adj
vantage. This is the status OF the re-
Gently established peace. concluded by
the influential powers Of the Federal
League and Of organized baseball. Said
powers. unseifsh as they may have been
in their negotiations. left certain scars
Of discomfort among the little fellows OF
their respective ~followings.
The stockholders of the Baltimore
Federal League club appear unusually
belligerent toward both sides. They
are raising a war fund Of $4,000 to
press the antitrust suit that is In the
hands OF Judge Lands in chicago. Bal
timore. frs, demanding "A berth in the
major league. would now be content IL
the Federal a promoters OF that
city had an opportunity to absorb some
OF the stock of the international League
club to be placed In the Oriole city.
The International League is dis
~gruntled at the majors for suggesting
that there be the slightest compromise
In Baltimore. Because Of this suggestion
~ ts' ANfh's y" 'FH''
the peace commission. Barrow as
spunkily resents an alleged claim Of
Charles II. Ebbets for $4,000 against
Newark territory. Last Of alb the Pa
cihc Coast League threatens trouble un-
less 1t gets clear title to Infielder Gedeon
and Ou,fielder Jimmy Johnston.
In the cases of these two players. ac-
cording to the assurance OF John *.
Tener. president OF the National League
and member of the National Comrnis-
sion, trchnicalitics are involved. II APP
pears that the National Commission
did not incorporate into its peace ar
ticies all OF its side agreements with
the financial powers OF the Federal
League. II made one or two verbal side
agreements which are responsible for
the i'll Will occasioned by the disposition
Of Gedoon and Johnston.
Gedeon was purchased from Harry +,
Sinclair by the New York American
league club, Johnston was bought by
the Brooklyn Nationals. Gedeon
played last year with Salt Lake city
OF the Pacific Coast League Johnston
WAS a member OF Oakland OF the same
league at the close OF last season. Both
these players after the close OF the 1915
campaign signed Federal League con-
tracts in other words. they disregarded
the reserve clause of their organized
baseball contracts. Neither of course
had had an opportunity as yet TO
actually violate that reserve by playing
with Federal League teams.
\ IL. the peace articles signed In Gin
cinnati the contracting parties speciii-
cally covered the cases Of Gedeon and
Johnston, assigning them the while ia
the ownership OF the Federal League
They were included In a descriptive
clause as chattels which might be- sold
TO reimburse the surrender1ng warriors
AN players who on or before this
date december g. 1851 have played
with or contracted Ia play with a Fed
eral League club will lie considered as
bart OF Exhibit \ and the property o'
the party Of the second part tFedera
7 Leaguel" So reads the peace article
Furthermore the names Of G,deor
and Johnston We're in tn" list that com
pris.d Exhibit -. The Yankees anc
3 Dodgers respectively IN the very best %
$ faith purchased them at fancy price,
from Federal League ~custodians II wal
2 after these sales had been completed
, and he money paid that the first ink
ling OF d!sapproval was evidenced.
clark griffith OF the Wash.ngto'
Americans mad. the first remonstrance
d, lie had sent Gedeou To salt Lake CT!
. Oh OPTIONAL agreement. that -, ne re
served the right to recall tho player 70
, IN. 1916 season. lie maintained tina
u As Gcdeon had not actually violated AM
:, rule OF organized baseball he should
} revert To- the Washington club. Thi
contention appeared somewhat BRACE
In view Of the explicit phraseology o
the peace article quoted above until l
X was discovered hat the peace commits
. sion had entered into those secret sid
& agreements which even the most influ
entail club owners Of the two maj
= leagues did not know
1T was agreed sad Mr.. Tener y"s
e terday, that in tho cases of th"s
players who had signed with tho Fed
eial League after the close of the 1871
It season tina; they would revert 10 n
II clubs with which they played last sea
W son provided such clubs were wlllln
To assume the contracts made with tn
Federals. In other words the club
from which the jumped were to haV
first chance. Now the proposition c
y any optional agreement did not erte
into our calculations. That ls why
say that Wash,ngton's objection 10 N
sale OF Gedeon TO New York Is base
on a techniCality."
~ President Tencr is not a bit apprs
N hensive over the little troubles tina
y confront the harmony OF the approach
ing season,
T. Far too much s~elhshness and pet,
jealousy haNo been evidenced to date
said ne III should all work ol
smoothly IN snort order. The America
ard the National leagues were not 70
proud to make concossions-in 81. Lou
. and Chicago respectivcly-and | do u,
see why The minor leagues should
unwilling TO yield "A point with digUit.
II may Ice argued that the minor leagu,
suffered more from The war than did II
majors But by the same line OF re:
n soniug It Is evident, II such is the cas-
that the minors viii benefit most froi
peace. There is absolutely no possibi
ity of Internal diSs.nsion once the var
GUS governing bodies Of organized has'
ball have had an opportunity TO con