Clipping:Spalding puts off the Brotherhood
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| Date | Wednesday, July 3, 1889 |
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| Text | While the New Yorks were in Chicago last week President Ward, of the Brotherhood of Ball Players, as chairman of the committee representing his organization, called upon President Spalding and laid before him the questions for the consideration of which President Young has appointed Messrs. Spalding, Day and Rogers a League committee. The details of the conference are not know, as it was conducted privately. It lasted for fully two hours, however, and the questions at issue—the existing classification rule and the proposed abolition of the sales system—were, it is understood, freely discussed. This much has been learned definitely. President Ward is desirous of arranging a meeting between the two committees at once and President Spalding has not fully made up his mind that the questions at issue are of sufficiently urgent nature to warrant such action. Mr. Spalding, as chairman of the League committee, has taken the matter under advisement, however, and will confer further with the Brotherhood committee. The Sporting Life July 3, 1889 [Spalding’s reply to Ward] “Since my conversation with you on the 24 th ult. I have been in communication with Messrs. Rogers and Day, the other members of the committee appointed by the League to consider all grievances of League players not especially provided for by the League constitution. It is the unanimous opinion of this committee that it is inadvisable to hold a meeting with the Brotherhood Committee at present for the reason that no material interests will suffer by postponing this meeting and for the principal reason that all this committee could do would be to report the result of the conference with recommendation to the League at a special or at the annual meeting. It is contrary to the past policy of the League to call a special meeting in mid-season except for some extraordinary emergency, and we fail to discovery any necessity for immediate action in the points you raise. If it shall appear upon investigation that any wrong has been done any player, whether a member of the Brotherhood or not, it can and will be righted at the annual meeting of the League. Therefore, as chairman of the League Committee, I would suggest that the meeting of the committee be deferred until after the close of the championship season, or until the annual meeting of the League, the exact time and place of such meeting to be decided upon as the time approaches.” The Philadelphia Item July 5, 1889 There will not be any meeting of the League and Brotherhood committees in the near future if the League has its way, as Chairman Spalding, after his long interview with Chairman Ward and due consideration with his fellow committeemen, has concluded that there is no urgent necessity for a mid-summer meeting. The Sporting Life July 10, 1889 [editorial matter] From a League standpoint, in dealing with an organization like the Brotherhood one of two courses must inevitably be pursued. It must be crushed or conciliated. As the League cannot afford, and also has not the nerve, to attempt the crushing-out task, it is surely poor policy to widen the breach and make conciliation more difficult and submission by the players less probable by assuming an attitude of indifference. It would be far better for the League to quit temporizing; meet the issue squarely and at one; to reason with the players; to convince them by irrefutable arguments of the supreme necessity for the classification rule or some similar preservative measure, and having thus made clear its position to leave the alternative or future peace or war to the Brotherhood. A conference at this time would give the latter ample time between now and next fall to consider the situation and to come to a realizing sense of the exigencies and necessities of professional base ball, which so often compel seemingly harsh legislation; and a mutual exchange of views right now may lead to some measure far better than could be evolved in the hurry of an annual meeting. The Sporting Life July10, 1889 |
| Source | Sporting Life |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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