The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1921-01-14
NeU Continental League
Seeks A. f. of l.. Charter
Baseball Promoters Plan to
Unionize Each of Eight State
Clubs-May Have Complete
Negro Teams.

New York, Jan. 14.-George Herman
Lawson, president of the recently in
corporated Continental Baseball Asso-
citation, was in New York this week in
speeding park sites for the new league
clubs which he hopes to install i'll or
near New York. He said that during
the present trip, which will take him as
far south as Richmond, he expects to
place the state franCise for New Ork,
New Jersey and Maryland.
The promoter and executive of the
new league said that three of the eight
francies of the league have been
granted as follows: Indiana, with the
state club playing at Indianapolis; Mas
sachusetts, playing at Boston, and On
taro, playing at Toronto. The New
clinched for Camden, Lawson said.
In connection with the New Jersey
Pennsy,v ania and Massachusetts, fran
chiSes, Lawson said that he is strongly
considering the installation of negro or
Cuban clubs. He pointed out that the
negro population of Boston and Phlla-
delphia form large percentage of the
city population and that there are at
least 100 negro baseball players in this
country who equal in playing skill the
best average of the major leagues and
who, although they are citizens OF the
country, are barred from playing IN
either the major or minor leagues under
present conditions.
Lawson said that it is not the 1nten-
ton to build new parks this season
where old parks were available and that
the Continental league would buy parks
and ball clubs outright if they were
available After the new league is es-
tablished, he said he favored the plan
of recruiting new players entirely with
in the limits of the state represented by
the club in order that the team might
be really state organization instead OF
a coll ecticn of baseball players from all
sections Of the country.
The New York state franchise IS re-
ported to be held under option by a
syndicate of theatrical men whose iden-
tity will be disclosed at the first schedule
meeting of the league in New York,
January 81. Lawson intimated that the
Continental league will sign desirable
players without regard to their former
league affiliatiOn, except that all major
league players involved in the recent
expose in Chicago are automatically
barred.
There will be no salary limit or limit
on the number of players a club may
carry and the contracts will have no re-
serve clause A player will be signed
for one full playing season and at the
end of this contract will become a free
agent again.
Application has been made, according
to Lawson, for an American Federation
of Labor charter for each club, the play
ers thus becoming unionized and on
par with organized skilled labor.
The president of the new league said
that while the Continental league had
been incorporated less than two weeks,
50 per cent. of the franchises have been
placed, $4,000 subscribed, several prom
inent players signed and arrangements
made with umpires for the coming sea-
son. He refused to give the names of
the players signed, but said that they
were from big league clubs and that
others were in line for berths in the
new circuit.