In 1881 the owner of the Chicago White Stockings said these "must come down" to keep teams from bankruptcy
[DOC] [TLE] View/Open - DiscoverArchive [PAR] the owner of a baseball club a perpetual right to renew a players' contract; 
however, .... reserve system as a mechanism of keeping team playing strengths 
equal  a ..... William Hulbert, the president of the Chicago White Stockings, 
along with .... player and baseball executive, wrote in 1881, Salaries