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Show Fa Lb TO OPlifl ITS - DOORS Id PLAYERS' FRAT Gompers Says Central Labor La-bor Body Is in Sympathy With' Baseball Workers; Work-ers; Charter Soon. NEW YORK. Jan. 15. A new phase ot the threatened strike of the Basebiilt Play.ers' fraternity developed here lute today when it was learned that Samuel Gompers. president of the American Federation' Fed-eration' of Labor, and President David I.. Fultz of the players' organization had been in conference relative to the proposed pro-posed action of the. fraternity members in refusing to sign 1917 baseball contracts until such time as the minor league mg- nates should grant requests made by the players. When asked if the fraternity was a member of the labor federation, Gompers replied : "Not yet, but soon, I expect- While the players' organization is not affiliated with us yet, I am In full sympathy with their requests and actions, and they have my moral support. I am deep'ly interested inter-ested in the welfare of the ball players, and they will have my support in any action that they may see fit to lake lit order to better existing conditions." President B. B. Johnson of tho American Ameri-can league arrived late today from Chl- cago. lie said be had come to attend tho meeting of the schedule com mil tees. Johnson said he did not care to talk about I the players' proposed strike, but that if j it materialized the American league hud i enough t players under contract to start the season nnd that others would ho se- cured to fill any vacancies that might ! exist. j "1 do not think," he s:id, "that 1he players of the major leagues will c;irry ! their contentions so far as to strike, but ! if they do we will be prepared lo meet ; the emergency aud will go right on play-ling play-ling baseball as usual. 1 am of the opinion opin-ion that if the major leagues do strike j it will be a violation of tho agreement I made with the frat emit y at Cincinnati i several years ago. and such action will j virtually cancel the compact and absolve ; the club owners from the terms of that agreement." Johnson also said that he was not in favor of the plan to divide the proceeds of the players' share of the world's scries money among any except the competing club players. "To the victors belong the spoils," he added. INTERNATIONAL NOT . WORRIED, SAYS PREXY NEW YORK. Jan. .".. Kvery club in t he International league was represcnl e.d today at a session held here, during whicli the business of the annual mealing, meal-ing, adjourned from last month, was completed. com-pleted. President K. G. Barrow snid th;i I tho players" threatened strike was not discussed, dis-cussed, and added thj.t in his opinion all tlie players would report on time when called upon. The regular schedule meeting of t he league will be held at Newark about the middle oT February. The playing season will begin April 17 with t he western clubs in the east. The regular season will A open August 5, and the inter-league series with the A merk-an asosciation will open August 7 and finish about September 21. The player limit of sixteen, exclusive of the manager of each club, will be enforced en-forced from May 17 until the completion, of the inter-leagiie series. A resolution was adopted prohibiting (Continued on Following Page.) I F. L 10 OPEN DOOR TO PLAYERS' fill' (Continued From Preceding Page.) any club taking a player on option subject sub-ject to recall before the end of the regular regu-lar season and the inter-league games. FULTZ'S MOVE PL'EASES CHICAGO FRAT MEN CHICAGO. Jan. 15. The action of David L. Fultz, president of the Base-hall Base-hall Players' fraternity, in applying to the American Federation of Labor for a charter, met with the favor of the dozen or more members of the fraternity residing re-siding in Chicago. "It's a good thing, and I hope the application ap-plication is granted," said Catcher Archer of the Chicago Nationals tonight. Archer said he would walk out if Fultz called a strike. Al Demaree of the Philadelphia Nationals, Na-tionals, who. at Fultz' s request, has called a meeting of fraternity members living in or near Chicago for tomorrow, saict he did not believe there would be a strike, because lie thinks the club owners and players "will get together before thev trouble has gone too f;ir." |
