The Washington herald., 1918-07-20


The section of the regulations bear-'
ing on the case Of ball players Is:
Persons, including ushers and
other attendants. engaged and oc-
cupied In and in connection with
games. sports and amusements," etc
The Secretary Of War says: "Oo-
viously baseball players are persons
occupied in a sport. so that the rul-
ing Of the local and district boards
must be sustained as plainly correct.
He points out, however. that the
appeal was not 80 much on the, basis
of the regulations as an appeal for
their change to exclude baseball
players from their operations.
The arguments on this were three
fold:
1. That baseball is a business in
which large investments of money
have been made. involving the erec-
tion of properties. useless and un-
profitable unless permitted to con-
tinue in the use for which they were
erected: and that the application of
the rule to professional baseball play
ers would so disorganize the business
as to destroy It and render this
property valueless.
The situation of professional base
ball." the Secretary ruled on this ar
gument, differs in no wise from
other civilian peace-time business
which by reason of the stress of war
and the industries and energies of
the country must be content to bear
whatever burden Is imposed by tenn
. porary inactivity" He points out
the fact that many ball players are
over draft age and that 1t is pos
sible organized baseball may be con-
tinued.
z That the occupation Of profess
sional baseball player requires a very
high degree of specialized training
and skill, procurable only by a sub
stantially exclusive devotion Of the
time Of persons aspiring to become
professional ball players, so that there
10 not much likelihood Of such players
having any other available occupa-
tfon, or fitness for any other oecupa-
ton, at all adequate in its returns to
maintain for themselves and their
families the standards Of living which
have been established on their earn
ings In their professional occupations.
On this Baker commented ss fol-
lows:
Baseball players are men of un-
usual physical ability. dexterity, and
alertness. 1t has been necessary for
us IN this country to institute pro-
cesses OF rapid Industrial training;
and 1t Is quite inconceivable that occu-
pations cannot be found by these men
which would not only relieve them
from the onus Of nonproductive en-
ployment. but would make them pro-
ductive in some capacity highly use
full to the nation. This change will
be welcomed by the individuals in
volved. and its susefulness to the
country. both direct and indirect, is
obvious
The third argument was the one
on which the ball players and their
club owners hung their highest hopes,
and was also regarded by the Secre-
tary as the most important. 1t was:
). That baseball has been accepted
as the national sport Of the people
of the United States, that 1t affords
wholesome outdoor relaxation and en-
American people, and Is to many
workers and business men of the
United States almost the only oppor-
trnity for such recreation; so that to
bring about the cessation Of profes-
sional baseball would work q social
and Industrial harm out OF proportion
to the military loss involved by the
exemption Of the limited number Of
players In question.
The third consideration IL of course
the serious one,' says Baker, "and Is
the one which has brought about the
present appeal to the President. The
stress Of intensive industry and occu-
patton in America. in normal times, Is
such as to give the highest Importance
and social value to outdoor recrea-
tiou- II may well be that all of the
persons who attend such outdoor
sports are not in need Of them, but
certainly a very large preponderance
OF the persons who attend them are
helped. physically and mentally, and
made more efficient. industrially and
socially. by the relaxation that they
enjoy. But the times are not normal:
the demands Of the army and the
country are such that we must all
make sacrifices. and the nonproduc-
tive employment Of able-bodied per-
sons, useful in the national defense,
either. as military men or. in the in
dustry and commerce of our country,
can not be justified. The country
will be best satisfied II the great se-
1sctive process by which our army Is
recruited makes no determinations
among men. except those upon which
depend the preservation Of business
and Industries of the country essen
tiaf 70 the successful prosecution of
the war
In his final denial of the appeal and
his approval Of the finding of the
lower board. the Secretary intimated
that the scope Of the order might be
broadened. rather than contracted. as
the baseball interests had suggested,
when he said:
The scope of its provisions should
be 50 enlarged as to include other
classes Of persons whose professional
occupation fs solely that Of entertain
ing Our people win be resourcefuI
c-odgh to find other means of recrea-
ton and relaxation II there be not
enough persons beyond the useful mil
itary or industrial age to perform
such functions. and they win be wise
and patriotic enough not TO neglect
the recreation necessary to maintain
their sfficsney merely because they