Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-27
SEPTEMBER | DEADL|AE
SET BY WAR SECRETARY
National Commission Appeal IS
Denied. But Ballplayers Get
Extension of Time.

Washington. July y Professional
baseball players were given until SeT1-
tembor | 10 find essential employment or
hc called to the colors, according To nm
order ISSUED hv Secretary Baker, vester
day. denying the Application Of the Na-
tional baseball Commission that the
effective time Of the work or fight reRtia-
tons as thov apply TO the baseball
| industry bc extended to Octobor 10
The Secretary said that the limited ex-
| tension nf lne was given because ot the
representation made that baseball PLAYERS
may have been put III less favorable at
| tit,ide than others affected hv tho rcguia-
| tinns because of their reliance on hs state
ment that the question af their inclusion
! in the terms ~ Ito order would not be
dccidcd until II rase had arisen lie msde
/ II plain. however thnt the War Depart
| mcnt Is interested solely ~ the strengthen
| my of the nation $ military forces, as the
| winning of the war is regarded as the first
| consideration
Provost Marshal General Crowder. Mr.
| BAKER SAID had ropnrted that i was not
clear to him that the garnc would have 10
| ho discontinued even # the ORDER wero
made immediately applicable. rs only III
| major league players would he affected.
While regarding It ns unfortunate to
| have 50 wholesome II recreation ~ hnse
| ball DESTROYED, tho War Secretary said
it would he a much moro unfortunate
thing ia preserve even - wholesome an
amusement hv making IN fnvor Of baso
| bali PLAYERS m exception which IS denied
Ia great classes nf persons ~ the nted
! States who were immediately ass6claicd
/ with proccesps af tie natIonni daiv lfe
more fundamental than any mere adjust
meni
There was tins difference. be said. be
| tween baseball and other industries clnssed
| as non-uroduetlve. haachall y more IN
| tegrated, 1T least III the sense TINT is sf,r-
ccsstnl cor duct depends upon he Prfser-
vatlon If all the malor league tcams scat
tered throughout the country, Whiie ~
most occupations the work or hight order
| has merely Il series Of local and more or
less personal effects
rltt secRErARY ~ wtRs ORDER
Secretary Baker ) order N lie form 81
| memorandum for the Provost Marshal
General. follows
* petition has been flied for an cx-
tcntion of time within which professional
baseball players shall seek essential or
productive employment. and the order
asked il one which Will extend until Octo-
.. y
uIcst ID is alleged that there are but 81
persons affected by the so-callcd work or
hight order, hut that in spite Of this small
number. their taking would lead 10 the
immediate breaking up oi the entire
~ le
II Is further said that the notice IS
too short t. allow the leagues to adapt
themselves 70 the ruling and that the
failure oi the clubs To adapt themselves
IL the ruling IS due To- the fact that the
| Secretar. of War caused Il To be known
through the newspapers that the qnes-
tion If the application ei the order to
baseball PLAYERS would not be -deelded
until All actual case ur9se
4 hearing has been had on thus sub
lect Nv the Provost Marshal General, who
reports to me that II Is not clear to hlm
that the game will have To be ehscon-
continued even II the order Is made iinine-
diately applicable
The purpose af the work or fight or
der. 50 far as the War department Is
. concerned. Is TO strengthen the military
forces OF the country, and not 10 control
| the labor situation incidentally It Will
, undoubtedly have the effect Of adding to
, the number uf persons ltsetullF em-
/ | ploved and decreasing The number OF
persoI.s uselessly employed. In thus WAY
the order will strengthen the military
forces by making it less necessary to
+ | exempt for industrial reasons men Who
! | would otherwise be taken INTO the mili-
tarv service This Is an Indirect result
: | but one Of very great Importance, and II
| exceptions are made, or poStponeihents
| are to be made In the enforcement oi
q | this order it will require very careful
, | study TO determine whether those eXcep-
| i. Z -. IN -FslEag
behalf this petition Is hied or some other
group out Of the large number affected
by the order. many Of whom have air adS
complied with it and brought about {
readiustment Of the trades and oceupu
? tions which they had previously followed
IL think it would be an unfortunatt
= thing to have 50 wholesome "a recreation
q as baseball destroyed II Il can Be continued
: by the use Of persons not available for es
: sential war service But II would be
much more unfortunate thing to preserve
, even so wholesome an amusement by max
s ing an exception IN favor OF baseball play
= ers. which is denied TO great classics OF per
e sons in the United States, whose occupa
} tions have been held similarly non-cssen
[ tial. although they are immediately asso
clated with the distribution OF food anc
. other processes of our daily lie mon
j Fundamental than any mere amusement
1T does happen that baseball Is NOR
I mtcgrated than any other occupation II
s our country at least III the sense that II
n successful conduct depends upon tn
S preservation of all the ma JoT league team
a scattered throughout the country whi'
in most occupations the work or fight or
7 der has merely a series Of local and mon
Y or less personal effects.
a Il am impressed, too, by the representa-
4 tIon made that the baseball players ma,
/ have been put in less favorable attitude
= by reason Of their reliance on my state
d 1nent that the question Of their inclusion
z in the terms Of the order would not b
decided until case had arisen.
"For these reasons it seems to me Ell
tirey proper and faJ to extend the tim
during which the readiustment can tax
2 place merely IN order that justice may b
I done to the persons involved, and &c
= therefore, direct that the application c
}, the order be made to date from SepteInbe
7 The order for the extension to th
2 18th of October is denied