Evening star., 1925-02-17

continued in office for two years.
If Arthur II. Soden of Boston, who
is. still living. may be considered the
father of the reserve rule, 1t will
be well to accept Col Mills as the
father Of the national agreement,
because 1t was largely the result Of
his pronounced attitude for fairness
in base ball. as concerned the rela-
tions between leagues and the re-
specting of players contracts, that
the national agreement came into ex-
istence.
Prior to its adoption one of the
discouraging and reprehensible fea-
lures of base ball had been the pirat-
ing by one club of players who were
signed to contract with another
club. If the team of b went into
the city Of A as likely as not some
of the players of 3 team would be
invited to desert their organization.
and there were at least two or three
actual instances where base ball
players of visiting clubs signed with
home clubs. and where home clubs
lost their players to visiting clubs
almost while games were going on.
That sort of thing did not appeal to
the American sense of fairness and
patrons of the game began to desert
1t because the team toward which
they had given their support and
which they were most interested in
watching suddenly would be weak
ened because its players were award
ed enough of bonus to desert and
go with another base ball team.
Col. Mills. before he had actually
Interested himself in league activities
took cognizance of this situation and
addressed several communications In
one way and another to base ball
men and the press, criticizing 1t Sc
verely. He was one who could do SO
with some assurance. because he had
been identified actively with base ball
in Washington after the war and had
played much In the vicinity Of New
York when he was n young man. To
be frank. he was a base ball en-
thusiast from boyhood up.
He was made chairman of the
board of arbitration which operated
under the first agreement. known as
the tripartite agreement. which In
many respects resembled the national
agreement of the present time. 1t
was very natural that he should go
from that to the presidency Of the
National League in view of his ad-
the necessities which were always
evident to try to better its early con-
ditions.
He resigned from the presidency
of the National League because he
was at variance with the policy of
that organization, which restored
certain players to good standing who
had violated their faith with the
National. While he was in office the
Union Association was formed, the
primary purpose of which was al
legged to free the players from the
reserve rule, an undertaking since
conceded to have been foolish and
not to have had much merit when
it was attempted.
Players of the Cleveland and other
teams jumped their contracts to go
with the new organization. When
the Union failed these players were
reinstated and Col. Mills, who was
opposed to putting them back in the
game, withdrew from the league
when the action was taken. He was
bitterly opposed to contract break
ing and 1t has since been the ex-
perience Of the league and of baseball
generally that he was right. That
first reinstatement which followed
contract breaking has since been
followed by a course on somewhat
similar lines and always has made
trouble for the professional game.
In knowledge of base ball require
ments and in purpose of adminis-
trative influence and strength the
league never had a stronger presi-
dent than Col Mills.
Un the next article Foster will
write about the National Leagues
'ourth president, Nicholas Z. Young.)