The Alaska daily empire., 1917-01-24
FULTz SETS DATE FOR BIG STRIKE
 IN 3, 3. CIRCLES
President of Players Fra ternity Says all Dis puteS Must be Set
 tied Quick
FEB. 20 IS DATE SET
aiNe-mAT AND GENERAL ITEMS

Unless points in dispute between the Baseball Fraternity and mag mates of major and minor leagues hare settled by February 20, the threatened strike of players on that date will become a reality. An an- nouncement definitely fixing Febru- ary 20 as the date of the strike was made by David L. Fultz, presi- dent of the fraternity.
 "The Chicago National League players have been instructed to re- port in Chicago on that date to make the trip to their training camp at Pasadena, said Fultz. If the present baseball tangle is not strengthened out by that time, how ever, not one of the eighteen lead ing members of the team will move. The other clubs who have un- signed fraternity players will be up against a similar situation when they order mobilization at the train inE camps. The players simply will not budgc,"
 Fultz said the decision to join the American Federation of Labor came after statements by President Johnson of the American League that the fraternity must be crushed md that players who are active in the fraternity must give up the or or get out of his league.
 Need Strength.
 We need something to bUlwark us up, and there seems no doubt that amliation with the American Federation of Labor will prove a great benefit, continued Fultz. q believe such amliation will strength en us sufficiently to win the requests we now ask for without carrying this strike into the season. I do not believe the club owners will want antagonize the federation, as base ball is largely a workingman's sport, especially in the western cities, which are unionized much more strongly than the East It would hardly be to the advantage of club owners to hire inferior players in such cities.
 Not only did 600 to 700 players sign pledges late last season not to sign until instructed to do so, but within the last four weeks we sent out fresh letters to the players, ask ing, Are you willing to go through with this?' and all have answered yes
 Players Pledge Loyalty.
 At the close of meeting of about twenty members of the Baseball Players Fraternity in Chicago, Ali Demaree, pitcher of the Philadelphia Nationals, who was traded to Chi cago and who called the meeting at the request of President Fultz of the fraternity said;
 "We pledge our loyalty to Fultz and the fraternity We would be poor fraternity members if we did not"
 Demaree, the only player of the twenty attending the meeting who consented to discuss it, declined to disclose the contents of a letter from Fultz which was read there.
 Among those at the meeting were Demaree, Archer and Clemens of the Chicago Nationals; Leonard of Wash 1 ington, Smith of the St. Louis Na- tionals, Pfeffer of Brooklyn, Roth of Cleveland, Perring of Toledo, Dyer | of Denver, Lelevielt of Kansas City, | of Columbus, Herbert of To- l ronto and Rehor of Lincoln.
 Johnson Scocs at Union.
 Afiliation of the Baseball Play | CTS Fraternity with the American | of Labor would end tho present salary system in profession al baseball by which the best play