The Washington herald., 1922-10-31
WOULD PROHIBIT s
Bar All Major Trades
After Opening, Plans Griff
Nationals President Has Radical Proposal to
Place Before Meeting of League-Would
Make Clubs Finish With Starting Rosters.

Clark Griffith will father, at the
coming annual meeting of the Amer
lean League. one OF the most radical
proposals that has ever yet been
offered to end one OF the most trou-
blesome features of bssebalI-trad-
/, ing and buying players when the
race tightens.
1t will be recalled that last year
the New York and Boston clubs en-
l gineered a deal in the closing weeks
that gave the Yankees the strength
to offset the rush of st. Louis. Such
a howl was raised at that time that
ST. Louis business men sent a violent
claring the life of the game was
threatened unless this abuse was
ended In other years similar ar
rangements had hurt the sport. but
this time the protest was so strong
II is now pretty generally conceded
when the club presidents of both
leagues confer they will do some
thing to protect against the un-
wholesome development.
One suggestion Ia that no club be
allowed to obtain. by trade or other
wise. a player from another club on
the same circuit. after August. Crit
nth. however. would go much far
ther than this and prohibit abso-
lutely the trade or purchase of any
player on the upper realm once the
season has gotten under way.
Let them finish the way they
start" is the way Griffith defends
hi, proposition. Between fall and
spring every club has plenty of
chances to bolster up its front. and
there's no reason why. after they
commence to approach final ranking.
an owner with a lot of money should
swoop down on a trailer and grab
OF everything he needs to be first
past the wire.
while most of the talk was over
the Boston-New York affair. the
thing has happened repeatedly in
the past and naturally the fans are
disguised.
Il know my plan is radical con-
tinued the president OF the Wash
ington club. but it's a most i'm
portant question and should be ap-
preached in the proper way. l don't
know how much support I can en-
list for my suggestion. but intend
to take il to New York with me in
December and fight for its adoption
In case can't muster enough
strength / will vote for the mex;
most drastic proposal that comes
before us.
Let the scouts hustle through the
minors and let the mana.yc-s talk
business in the of season instead
Of trying to switch .varythins
around when the battle s.ar,s"
Efforts to unionize ball player,
I are doomed. according to Griffith.
Throughout the country organiz-
ers have been at work since mid
summer trying to get the major
lesguers to combine in a national
association to present their claims
and a number of names have already
been published of those alleged tC
he members of the order There is
no particular grievance at this time
but those behind the movement
claim that the players should ba
combined in one unit in order tha,
they will be sufficiently strong tc
evolved. regardless of what might
be the desires OF the men who con
-rol the finances of the sport
Several times in the past this idea
has been worked out. the most pre-
ienttous being The organization with
Dave Fultz at the head which made
things most uncomfortable for this
owners about ten years ago. In the
ANrNr
Federal League projected itself and
there was such wholesale jumping
Of players from one club to another
that baseball went through Its
greatest period of disorganizatior
until some OF the outlaws were abb
sorbed into the organized game and
others were banished from baseball
I've been through three of these
movements myself" said Griffith
last night. "and they all degener-
ated into 'bloomers' of the worst
sort. leaving the players holding the
bag and the promoters holding the
membership coin.
Players Well Treated.
THE ball player is today being
better treated than at anv time in
the history of baseball. and thos,
who are trying to arouse this dis
content are more lik ely to hurt the
player than help him. The owner.
are trying to be fair in the matter
If pay and you will find that tho
salaries have been on a steady in
rrease since our crowds continued
to grow. Not only is this so-called
federation bad thing for the
player and the game. but it is sure
TO fail as there are too many SEN
s'ble players now to give 1t sup
0ort"
John NJ Ward. former New York
captain. who as a lawyer. has been
handling many baseball cases in the
courts. takes the opposite view Of
Griffith. and thinks the player should
have representation on the games
advisory council. Ward was presi-
dent of the brotherhoods of the late
eighties
Il have read that one Of the OBJ
iects of the newly formed players
association is to get representation
rfor the players on the advisory coun-
ill Surely that is not unreasonable.
The players are affected just as
much by the rules for governing
the sport and should have some
thing to say about drafting them.
| think that from the standpoint of
the magnate quite as much as from