The Washington herald., 1919-01-16
Magnates Agree Upon
. $1,000 Monthly Salary
and Twenty-one Player
Limit.

New York, Jan. I5.-Economy and
retrenchment were the passwords at
the meeting of the National League.
which dawdled along for the better
part of the afternoon yesterday at the
Waldorf.
While these passwords were being
exchanged in the inner sanctum the
scribes of baseball cluttered the corri
dors of the famous hostelry trying to
find one of those old-fashioned leather
backed armchaiTs to repose in while
the "Hooverites'' confabbcd. But Just
about the time the aforesaid scribes
were settling back for their fifth nap
of the waning afternoon they were sud-
Genly snatched from their dreamland
by the announcement that finally the
big moguls were ready to say some
thing which might be worth the print
ing, and this. put briefly. is just what
the National League Soviet proclaimed
as its platform to he presented to the
joint meeting of the two majors at
the Biltmore this afternoon:
The maximum monthly salary for all
National League teams shall be sl1. 900,
exclusive of managers salary. Any
club which embarks on a spring train
ing trip before March % shall be PEN
allied to the amount of $500 The
limit as to number of players on any
one club shall not be more than
twenty-One.
The continuance of the war taxes
which have been collected since the
Kaiser started the world rumpus is
recommended
The share of the winning clubs
of the two leagues which take part
in the world series shall be turned
into the league treasury on a so
per cent basis, instead of the Gus
tOmary %.
The players pool in the world
series shall be divided on a per-
centage basis
No recall of player in the
minors shall be permitted after the
hrst game of the season has been
played
The reduction of the amount that
each club may spend monthly in the
way of salaries means that the
stars of the gamA-the Tv Cobbs
the Speakers. the AIexanders and
all their ilk-will have to suffer
material subtractions on their old
pay checks. The fabulous contracts
Of the past will go a-gIimering il
the two leagues in joint session to-
morrow indOrse this radical inno-
walton. The question naturally
looms up what will be done with
such men as Herzog. yho is work
ing or rather playing on a contract
that has year to run. Again il is
all up to the big show down of to-
morrow.
According to John A. HeydIer
some of the magnates were in favor
of a lower limit than the $1,000
morthly. Among those who on
posed the $1,000 limit were
charles E. Stoneham. the new pres
Ideht OF the Giants, and MAGISTRATE
Francis X MCQuade, the new treas
urer Of the New York club. Will
lam Neeck, vice president of the
Chicago Cubs, Joined the New York
ers in their opposition te the plan.
out their words fell on those proyer-
btal deaf ears
Mr.. Heydler added in this connec-
Ton that in accordance with the stand
taken by the league he was empow-
ered TO audit the books of any of tho
cIuDs at all times to ascertain whether
the rule was being violated. IF any
club breaks the lay" said Mr.. Heyd-
Ter, 1T is liable to a fine of Il 900 -
The matter Of the coming schedule
VIII be finally decided tomorrow. but
Judging from the vote on this matter
yesterday, the Nationals will acoui
esce in the scheme to limit the plav-
ing season to 40 games. On this uues-
ton also the New York and ChIcaso
clubs voiced n protest and their
spokesmen waxed eloquent, if there
be such thing as eIoquence in a
baseball league meeting. i'm support
OF schedule calling for l54 games,
The vote against the Giants and Cubs
stood six to two. so again the biz
cities of the circuit were effectually
sQuelched.
The idea of the change suggested in
the distribution of the world serie,
funds as affecting the leagues share
was to lessen the possibility of any
one team buying a pennant." This
proposition. it appears. had little II
any opposition.
The National reiterated their antag-
onism to the three-man national com
mission as at present constituted, and
will be unit tomorrow in demanding
that August Hermann at least be
superseded as chairman by some per-
son who is not in any way interested
in the national game.
TADDV CTnrrr yYrac