Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-07-22
WAR SECRETARY
HOLDS BASEBALL
IS NON-ESSENTIAL
Secretary Bakers Ruling On The
Work-Or-Fight Order May
Kill The Sport
DECISION GIVEN
ON APPEAL CASE
Holds That Knights Of Diamond
Are Able To Provide For
Families In Other Trades

According 10 the decision of Secre-
tary of War Baker professional base
ball players of draft age must work or
| fight Immediately, and the draft regu-
lations may be changed soon to in
clude theatrical performers and NOV
| ing picture players and employees
among those TO seek new jobs or face
induction into the army
Secretary Baker settled the ques-
ton, so far as baseball is concerned,
in an unqualified decision holding the
game a non-productive occupation and
saying, so far from amending the
| regulation to exempt ballplayers, he
believed the scope of its provisions
Should be so enlarged as to include
other classes of persons whose pro-
fessional occupation is that of solely
entertaining" Legitimate theatrical
performers were specifically exempt
ed in the original work-or-fght order
of the Provost Marshal General, and
recent ruling placed in this class
actors and skilled men employed in
| producing moving pictures.
The Secretary's decision was given
on an appeal in the case of Edward
Ainsmith veteran catcher of the
Washington American Club, whose de-
ferred classification on account of de-
pendent wife and child recently was
revoked by a draft board. All argu-
ments against the ruling and in favor
of a suggestion that the regulation
should be modified in favor of the ma
tional sport were swept aside by Mr..
Baker. He held that baseball as a
business does not differ from other
civilian peace-time industries which
must make sacrifices in the stress of
war, and moreover, that it is by no
means certain that so many players
are of draft age that the organization
will be disrupted.
AS to the claim that baseball play
ers have devoted themselves to the
game and are not fitted to adequately
support their families by labor in other
lines, he said it is quite inconceivable
in view of the fact that ball players
are men of unusual physical ability,
dexterity and alertness. The point
that baseball has been accepted as the
national sport and is for many work.
ers and business men, the only OPP
portunity for wholesome outdoor re-
Taxation and enjoyment was treated as
a serious one. But the Secretary de-
clared times were not normal, that
other means of recreation could be
found and that:
THE non-productive employment of
able-bodied persons, useful in the ma
tional defense, either as military men
or in the industry and commerce of
our country cannot be justified
No statement was forthcoming as
to just what steps will be taken to
meet Mr.. Bakers view that the scope
of the work-or-fight regulation should
be enlarged.
In passing upon the appeal from
the district board which had approx
ed decision of the local board, Secre-
tary Baker said:
The language of the regulation
pertinent here occurs in paragraph C
of Section 121-K, as follows:
Persons, including ushers and
other attendants engaged and occu-
pied in and in connection with games,
sports and amusements,' etc.
obviously, baseball players are per-
sons occupied in a sport, so that the
ruling of the local and district boards
must be sustained as plainly correct
1t is suggested, however, that the
regulations ought to be changed to
exclude baseball players from their
operation, and this appeal is not real
ly based upon any doubt as to the
correctness of the determination made
by the local and district boards, but is
addressed to the wisdom of the regu-
lations''