The Washington times., 1917-01-09
Dave FuItZ AStounded When
,. Players Sign Up Without
~
&c. Receiving Orders.
-
COLLAPSE NOW EXPECTED
: National Commission Raps
Minor League for Being Un-
fair to Player.
By LOUIS A. BOUCHER

(which Clark Griffith today character
. ICED the situation relative to the Base
-rpalI Players Fraternity, which
: threatens to collapse over night. And
-7that's all he had to say about it, too.
Se The most dumbfounded gentleman in
these United States is David L. Fultz,
president of the fraternity. When
Informed that the contracts of Slim
Sallee and Lew Ritter, pitchers with
{ the New York Giants, had been signed
-4for 1917, He did not try to dissemble.
GHe admitted his surprised disappoint-
Iment.
:; st shall make a statement as soon
oas I have definitely established the
truth of the matter" said Fultz. az
.-sen scarcely believe that Sallee signed
n 1917 contract with New York. He
was a fraternity member who gave
Ibis solemn assurance that he would
not do so as long as issues between
The fraternity and organized baseball
remained unsettled"
Collapse Is Expected.
. The collapse Of the fraternity is ex-
pected before many days. Baseball
men point out the situation as fol-
lows:
Most of the high-priced men are
signed to long contracts, with at least
another year to run. They cannot
help reporting, II their contracts are
to continue unbroken.
New recruits from the minors will
hardly dare incur the displeasure of
major league owners before they have
made good.
NJ. -----s-..-. - ~. -sn.. - -,
erage ability who have yet to sign,
will hardly dare to be ground to
death between these two bodies, for
Son pinch the big leagues could de-
eide to drop them all, going along
with their stars until the youngsters
could be developed.
Interest Dying Out.
~ Interest in the fraternity is dying
Sout among the players now that the
j Federal League is a thing fthe past
I'm at least one club, the Philadelphia
Athletics, there never was any inter
Sst.
Many of the Griffmen were inclined
, TO belIttle the possible achievements
spf Fultz and his co-workers. Walter
sJohnson, for one, Joined merely be-
srause the others did
: Baseball is q different thing from
ssnost lines of business" johnson told
sthe writer one day last summer, "and
Il fail to see why there should be any
,.union. I have never had any dif-
sficulty with the Washington club that
= could not settle satisfactorily to
myself. Baseball isn't like like fac
tory work. It's a sport, that's all"
HeId-outs Face Cuts.
- II any players decide to follow
sfuItz's directions, they are facing the
possibility Of having cuts administer
I'd to them on that account.
According to a statement from a
{ appointment baseball man in New York
"a club can offer a contract to player,
wait a reasonable time for 1T to be
oreturned signed, and then decline to
consider that contract at all. The
. club can then submit a contract call
ing for less amount than that OF the
hrst.
a Unless the first contract, signed, is
An the mails before the second is de-
-liyered to the player, the National
Commission is very likely to uphold
.-fhe action Of the club in cutting the
-,isalary of that player. This has been
done before now in baseball.
e- Minors Are Hit.
When minor leagues act contrary
70 the terms of the national agree
rnent they md themselves in trouble.
. The Central Association discovered
: Dahis today when 1t read the decision
-of the National Commission.
The Central Association adopted
league rule that no club could sign
more than five veterans. The Mus
Lestine club appealed to the commits
zion from the ruling of the minor
league board, which threw out sew
..zral of its victories because OF this
n action by Manager Egan.
=. The commission rules that the ONLY
rehabilitation for a ball player is his
.sriIlingness to play for a salary pre-
scribed by his club and that no league
can make such rule, as 1t is un-
.=fair to the player and against the
@Dational agreement.
Bruce IL Confident.
- John z. Bruce, an attorney, secretary
...cf the National Commission. says that
baseball welcomes the suit Of
,Ethe Baltimore Feds. He believes that
-fhe correct position Of the commission
will be shown once and for all, sitting
.sany further attempts Of outsiders to
Freak into the national game.
q This suit is a mighty fine thing"
-says Bruce, for organized baseball
For many years the National Commits
gsion has been anxious to have itself
-tindicated Of the charge Of trust meth
rods. The conduct of the game has al
ways been above reproach. The trium-
citrate welcomes an investigation"
= The suit will be heard in Philadelphia
next month before Federal court and
sJtIry.
: Mikes Good Start.
y. Jack Barry has made a good get
away as manager of the worlds
.. champion Red Sox.
, while the retirement of Bill CARR
gan made my advancement possible"
. says he, II want to say. that no Gne
regrets more than ] do his retirement.
> Ever since we played together on
Holy Cross in 1905 he and l have been
the warmest friends, and 1t is blow