NATIONAL AGREEMENT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
PROFESSIONAL BASE BALL CLUBS
PREAMBLE
This Agreement, made and entered into by and
between the National League and American Association of Professional Base Ball
Clubs, and the American League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, known and
designated herein as Major Leagues, parties of the first part, each with the
other and both, jointly and severally, by and with the National Association of
Professional Base Ball Leagues, known and referred to herein as Minor Leagues,
party of the second part, shall be styled the National Agreement, and shall
have for its objects:
(1) Perpetuation of base ball as the national
pastime of America, by surrounding it with such safeguards as will warrant
absolute public confidence in its integrity and methods, and by maintaining
a high standard of skill and
sportsmanship in its players.
(2) Protection of the property rights of
those engaged in base ball as a business without sacrificing the spirit of
competition in the conduct of the clubs.
(3) Promotion of the welfare of ball players
as a class by developing and perfecting them in their profession and enabling
them to secure adequate compensation for expertness.
(4) Adoption of a uniform code of rules for
playing base ball.
ARTICLE I.
Section 1.
This agreement shall be indissoluble except by the unanimous vote of the
parties to it, and if any of said parties withdraws from it, or violates any of
its fundamental principles the party so withdrawing or offending shall be
treated as the enemy of organized base ball.
ARTICLE II.
Section 1. Each
party to this Agreement retains the right to conduct its affairs and govern its
players according to the constitution and by laws.
ARTICLE III.
Section 1.
Each year a committee of three from each of the Major Leagues to this
Agreement,--the National and American
League,-- shall meet and adopt a code of rules to regulate the playing
of base ball for the ensuing season, a majority vote being required to adopt,
revise or repeal a rule.
ARTICLE IV.
Section
1. A commission of three
members, to be known as the National Commission, is hereby created with power
to construe and carry out the terms and provisions of this Agreement, excepting
when it pertains to the internal affairs of the National Association. One member shall be the President of the
National League and one the President of the American League. These two members shall meet, on or before
the first Monday of January in each year, to elect by majority vote a suitable
person as the third member. The third
member so chosen shall be the Chairman of the Commission for one year from the
date of his election, and shall preside at all meetings. Each member shall have a vote on all
questions which may come before it, except as hereinafter directed. A Secretary shall be elected yearly. The salary of the Chairman shall be
$............. per annum, in addition to living and traveling expenses incurred
in the discharge of his official duties.
Other members of the Commission shall serve without compensation. The salary of the Secretary shall be
$............. per annum. Immediately
after the election of a Chairman and Secretary, the Commission shall proceed to
the transaction of such business as many properly come before it.
Sec. 2. Sessions
of the Commission, in addition to the annual meeting on the first Monday in
January of each year, shall be held at the call of the Chairman, or at the
request of the two other members of the Commission.
Sec.
3. The National Commission shall
have the power to inflict and enforce fines or suspensions, or both, upon
either party to this Agreement, who are adjudged by it to have violated the
letter or spirit of this Agreement.
Sec.
4. Whenever a National League
Club or an American League Club claims the services of the same player by
selection, reservation or contract, the right to said player shall be
established by the decision of the Chairman of the Commission, who shall
determine the case on the law and evidence without the aid of either of his associates.
Sec.
5. Whenever a National League
Club or a Minor League Club cannot amicably arrange differences over a player,
the testimony shall be heard and the case adjudicated by the Chairman of the
Commission and the representative of the American League. If the contention be between an American
League Club and a Minor League Club, the decision shall be made by the Chairman
of the Commission and the representative of the National League. If the Chairman of the Commission and
the major league member entitled to
vote on any question arising between a major and minor league club shall not
agree, the Chairman's findings shall determine the case.
ARTICLE V.
Section 1. The circuits of each major league shall
consist of the following cities: National League--Boston, New York, Brooklyn,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati. American
League--Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago
and St. Louis. Neither major league circuit shad be changed without the consent
of the majority of the clubs of each major league. It is further provided that
there shall be no consolidation in any city where two major league clubs exist; nor shall any club transfer or release
its players for the purpose of injuring or weakening the league of which it is
a member; provided, however, that the circuit of either major league may be
changed by transferring either of the above-mentioned franchises to some other
city on consent of the majority of the clubs of each major league. Provided, further,
that if either of the major leagues in changing their circuits shall choose a
city in which a club of the National Association is located, such major league
shall then be required to pay to the league in the National Association of
which such city may be a member the sum of $2,500. Provided, further, thaten when a major league shall change its
circuit and choose a city in which a club of the National Association is
located, such club shall be compensated for any assets that they may have by
the club desiring to locate in such city; and upon failure to agree upon such
compensation, the matter shall be determined by arbitration, the arbitration committee to consist of
three members, one of whom shall be the President of the National Commission,
one a member of the major league. desiring to locate in such city, and the
third a member of the National Association.
The finding of a majority of said committee to be final.
Sec. 2.
The party of the second part hereby guarantees that none of the leagues in its
membership shall establish or maintain a club in a city on the circuit of
either major league, or within five miles of the limits thereof, without the
consent in writing of the major league club or clubs located therein and
recorded in the office of the Secretary of the National Commission, Jersey City
excepted.
ARTICLE VI.
Section 1. All parties to this instrument pledge
themselves to recognize the right of reservation and respect contracts between
players and clubs under its protection.
Sec. 2. Any club or league which harbors a player
who refuses to observe his contract with a club member of any party to this
Agreement, or to abide by its reservation, shall be considered an outlaw
organization, and its claim to contractual and territorial rights ignored.
Sec. 3. The right and title of a major league
club to its players shall be absolute, and can be only terminated by release or
failure to reserve under the terms of this Agreement by the club to which a
player has been under contract. When a major league club serves notice of
release on one of its players, he shall be ineligible to contract with a club
of another league if, during ten days after the service of such notice of
release, a club in the league in which he has been playing shall demand his
services.
Sec. 4. The practice of farming is prohibited. All
right or claim of a major league club to a player shall cease when such player
becomes a member of a minor league club, and no arrangement between clubs for
the loan or return of a player shall be binding between the parties to it or
recognized by other clubs.
Sec. 5. The National Association shall have the
classification of its leagues, and the adoption of a salary limit for its
clubs, according to such classification, and it agrees to withdraw protection
from any league which allows any of its clubs to exceed the salary limit
prescribed for leagues of its classification.
Sec.
6. The right of a minor league club to its players shall be absolute, except
that from September 1 to October 15 of each year, major league clubs shall have
the privilege of selecting players from the National Association clubs for the
following season, upon payment of $750 for each player so selected from clubs
in Class "A" leagues; $500 for each player so selected from clubs in
Class "B" leagues; $300 for each player so selected from clubs in
Class "C" leagues, and $200 for each player so selected from clubs of
a lower class, the payments to be made to the Secretary of the National
Association, through the Secretary of the Commission, as follows: One-half of the amount when the selection is
made, and one-half of the amount on June 1 following, the player to revert to
the club from which he was selected if the selecting club defaults on any of
the payments, the player also to revert to the club from which he was selected
if when released he is not signed within ten days by a club of a minor league; provided, however, that not
more than two players shall be selected from any Class "A" club
during any one year.
Sec. 7. Any club entitled to make selection of a
player, and desiring to do so, shall notify the Secretary of the National
Commission, stating the name of the player and of the club to which he is under
contract and reservation, and enclosing the amount specified in the preceding
section to be paid for such release or draft. The Secretary shall thereupon
notify the Secretary of the National Association, who shall thereupon
immediately notify the club and league from which such selection shall be made,
and shall order the transfer of the player to the selecting club at the close
of the current season. Such selection and transfer shall thereupon be
promulgated, and if such selection is revoked, or default made in payments,
immediate notice thereof shall he given
to the clubs of all parties to this Agreement, and any other club in the same
league may be subrogated to the rights of the club defaulting in said payments,
by paying to the club defaulting the sum so advanced.
Sec. 8. A major league club may at any time purchase the release of a player from a
minor league club,. to take effect forthwith or at a specified date, provided
such purchase is recorded with the Secretary of the Commission and Secretary of
the National Association for promulgation within five days of the transaction.
Sec.
9. If a selected player is released within the year of, or the next year
after, his selection, by a major league club, and no other major league club
claims him prior to the expiration of his notice of release, the minor league
club which lost him by selection shall have the priority of right to him over
all clubs.
Sec.
10. The selection of a player made by a major league club under an
arrangement with a minor league club for the return of the selected player
after the expiration of the period of selection, shall be void, and the
National Commission shall impose a fine of $500 on each club which becomes a
party to a conspiracy to prevent a player from advancing in his profession, or
in any way abusing the privilege of selection.
ARTICLE VII.
Section
1. On or before the 25th day of September in each year the Secretary
of each party to this Agreement shall transmit to the Secretary of the
Commission a list of players then under contract with each of its several club
members for the current season and in addition thereto a list of such players
reserved in any prior annual reserve list who have refused to contract with
such clubs. Such players, together with all others thereafter to be regularly
contracted with by such clubs (namely, those whose releases have been secured
for future services by purchase or selection by draft under this Agreement),
are and shall be ineligible to contract with any other club of any league
during the period of time between the termination of their contracts and the
beginning of the next season. The Secretary of the Commission shall thereupon
promulgate such lists. No club shall be permitted to reserve any player while in arrears of salary to him. Failure of
a club to tender a contract to a player by March 1 shall operate as a release.
ARTICLE VIII.
Section 1. All
contracts between clubs and players in the major league shall be in a form
prescribed by the National Commission.
Sec. 2. Any
agreement between club and player for service, evidenced by written acceptance
whether by letter or telegram or receipt from player for money advanced to him
to bind such agreement, shall be construed to be a contract and held to be
binding, provided the player declines to enter into a formal contract, but his
refusal to sign such formal contract shall render him ineligible to play with
the contracting club for more than a period of ten days or to enter the service
of a club of any party to this Agreement unless released.
Sec. 3. When
a player of a major or a minor league club shall be suspended for a stated
period or indefinitely, in accordance with his contract and the constitution
and by-laws of the league of which his club is a member, the Secretary of such
association shall give notice of such disqualification to the Secretary of the
National Commission, who shall at once promulgate the same, and such
disqualified player shall not be eligible to play with or against the club or
any party to this Agreement until such disqualification shall have been removed
and notice of such revocation promulgated by the Secretary of the National
Commission.
Sec. 4. In
all cases before it for adjudication the National Commission shall have the
right to require affidavits from parties in interest and other witnesses, and
may demand the production of documentary evidence. Failure to furnish testimony under oath or affirmation or
documentary evidence by a party in interest, within such time as may be
specified by the Chairman of the Commission, shall result in the award of the
case against the delinquent party.
Sec.
5. A player suspended by a club
or league for a term longer than ten days shall have the right of appeal to the
National Commission, which is given authority to order his reinstatement if it
deems the punishment excessive or not merited. This and other questions may be
determined by a mail vote by members of the Commission.
ARTICLE IX.
Section 1. The
Secretary of the National Commission, who shall act as treasurer in addition to
his other duties, shall furnish a sufficient bond for the faithful performance
of his duties and the safekeeping of
all moneys which come into his custody in the administration of his
office. He shall keep the minutes of
each meeting and preserve a correct record of all contracts, releases,
reservations, selections, suspensions and reinstatements of players and shall
provide himself with an official stamp for certifying the time of receipt by
him of all official documents.
Sec. 2.
On the receipt of a notice of selection he shall note upon it in ink the
amount of money accompanying it, the
date and hour of its arrival, and adopt every precaution possible to prevent
complications over the priority in time of the filing of selections of players
by different clubs, and the club which first registers its selection of a
player with the Secretary, as provided herein, shall be entitled to the
services of such player.
Sec. 3. The
Secretary shall prepare and promulgate all decisions and rulings of the
National Commission, unless the Chairman assigns the duty to himself or another
member.
Sec. 4. The expenses of the Commission herein
provided for shall be paid by the major leagues share and share alike. Each major league shall pay to the Secretary
of the Commission $500 for current expenses at the time of the adoption of this
Agreement.
ARTICLE
X.
Section 1. Every
league shall strictly enforce the provisions in its constitution against open
betting on its grounds, and club officials are required to cause the arrest and
prosecution of those who engage in the practice.
Sec. 2. No
game or series of games shall be played for a stake between clubs of any party
to this agreement, nor shall any player of a club accept or agree to accept a
sum of money or present of great value as an inducement or reward for special
effort on his part in winning or trying to win a game.
Approved September 11, 1903.
Source: 1904 Reach Guide, pp. 115-123.