The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1920-07-14

BASE BALL LEAGUE
REDUCED no THREE

LnurenS, Cross Hill and Owings Now
| Constitute Lnurens County Base
Ball League.
| AS result Of a disagreement over
the player eligibility rules Of the Lau-
rcns County Base Bail League, organ
lied for this summer and being
played for the past several weeks the
Clinton club is no longer playing in
tho league and the season will be fin
ished by the three remaining clubs,
I-aurcns, Cross Hill and Owings.
Secretary Lee gave the following
history OF the controversy yesterday:
The partial disruption Of the league
and the subsequent action Of the Gin
ton club followed several meetings Of
the directors where the eligibility OF
certain players was questioned. The
difference Of opinion arose particulars
ly over the eligibility of cotton mill
players on the Clinton and Laurcns
teams. When the league was formal
ly orGanizcd nothing was written in
to the constitution in regard TO mill
players, but the managers Of the Cross
Hill and Owings teams were given to
understand, according to their con
tontion and supported in this by the
LaurcnS directors, that the mill en-
p!Oyecs would not Dc allowed to play
in the league because they would give
an extra advantage to to the two mill
>f I'M,
Clinton team started the season off
with three players alleged to be mill
employees but who were accepted by
the league directors as eligible to
play because it was not known that
they were mill men. However, Pres
j. McC. Barksdalc happened to be
present at the first game played by
the Clinton club and recognized two
players as former mill employees and
called this to the attention Of officials
OF the Clinton club. The Clinton club
then and subsequently took the posi-
tion that no agreement as to mill play
ers had been entered into and that
they would stand by the written copy
Of the constitution. With the Clinton
team playing the mill men the other
teams at once began to strengthen
their lines in tho usual manner under
such circumstances until it appeared
If the eligibility rules would be dis
carded entirely when the Owings and
Cross Hill teams demanded that the
original agreement as to the player
limit be adhered to. The Laurcns di-
rectors took the position that the Ow
ings and Cross Hill teams were right
in their contention and agreed to
stand by the agreement, thus ruling
out all players ineligible under both
the constitution and unwritten agree
ment.
The matter came to head at di-
rector's meeting last Wednesday night
when the directors by majority vote
incorporated the agreement in the
minutes Of the league. After the vote
was taken, President Dillard, OF the
Clinton club, gave notice that Clinton
would not abide by the decision and
that Clinton would withdraw from the
league. Mr.. Dillard and lDr. Johnson,
Of Clinton, vice-president of the
league, thereupon withdrew from the
meeting. Notice Of Mr.. Dillard that
Clinton would withdraw was taken as
final by the directors and that clubs
bonus Of 500 to guarantee good faith
was declared forfeited to the league.
When the Clinton clubs check dcpos-
tied with the secretary and treasurer
vas sent the next day for collection
notice was received from the Clinton
bank that payment on it had been or
dcrcd stopped.
The league is now operating with a
new schedule as printed elsewhere in
this paper.