The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-08
SALARY
SPECTER MAKES
MAGNATESQUAKE
Major Leagues to Spend
Near Two Millions in
Wages This Year

~ the Associated preas.
NEW YORK, March z. -- George
Wright. star shortstop Of tho Cincin-
unu Red Stockings. played through
out the entire season Of 1863 for q
salary of $1,000. Wright was the
highest paid member OF the team.
Babe Ruth signed a contract with
the New York American league club
which viii net him approximately
$4,000 during tho coming season.
n continued for the fun five years
George Herman Ruth viii receive
total OF not less than $4,000. These
figures are the cause Of frequent
conferences behind closed doors IN
which baseball mnguatcs argue the
question as To whether they are
building q salary frankcnstoin which
will In the end turn aud destroy
what has boon In the past a reason
ably profitable business. Big league
baseball club owners will not discuss
publicly this subject except in the
most abstract way. u Is the con-
census of opinion as expressed by
the maguatcB. however. that the
situation is serious.
Near $1,000 900 Mark.
u is estimated that the salary
lists of the l6 clubs of the two ma
ior leagues will aggregate more than
$2,OOO,UOO this season. The maxi
mum figures for any one club are
placed at about $22j,OOO and the
minimum at a trifle over 100000.
To this expense must bo added
ground rent, travel charges, local.
state and federal taxes, interest on
mortgages, officers and clerical
salaries and minor charges. such as
advertising, ticket printing and sup
plies.
A study OF baseball salaries over
a period OF tho past 80 to 40 years
shows the steady increase which has
developed from year TO year. In the
early 7O's $1,000 was IA topnotch
figure for star player. At the be-
ginning Of 1900 players Of similar
Calibcr were receiving from S5,00U
to $4,000 a season.
a few years later the famous Chit
cago Nationals infield drew the fol-
lowing figures: Frank Chance. S10,-
600; Johnny Evers, $4,000; Joe
Tinker. $500, and Harry stein
feldt, $4,000.
About the same time Pittsburgh
was paying Ilonus Wagner $4,000
and Tommy Leach $4,5OO.
Tho Athletics famous intield.
consisting OF Eddie Collins. Frank
Baker. Stuffy Mclnnis and Barry,
drew an annual total OF $l7,5O0. of
which Collins collected close to one
third.
Twenty Years Ago.
Some twenty years ago the National
/ league had a salary limit of S2.400.
/ Ten years ago the average salary In
the major league was not moro than
| $4,000. Today II is almost double
those figures. Players are not. how
ever, the only ones benefited by the
| rising salary wave. The managers
4 of the clubs also profit. In 1898
/ Frank Chance received $1,000 dur
| ing his first year as n player with
! the Chicago Cubs. Fifteen years
later he drew n salary Of S25,000 Il
year. About the same Tins iris
Speaker was drawing $4,000 n year
with the Boston Americans. His
| present contract with Cleveland Is
much moro remunerative. In 1916
| Garry Hermann, president OF the
! Cincinnati Nationals, testified that
salary for tho team that year was
| Ss9.5 500. OF which Chrlsty Mathew
son as manager drew $4,000;
Charley Herzog. 10000, and Hal
| Chase. $4,000.
Following the baseball war with
| the Federal league the maguates
| proclaimed loudly that salaries
must come down, but they went up
ward instead. Other expenses ac-
| companied them. President Ban
johnson Of the American league ve-
ceives $4,000 a year under 90
year contract; Judge Lands, as high
baseball commissioner, has seven
year contract at $4,000 a year.
Manager McGraw of tho Giants
recently signed five-year con-