After Amos Rusie ended his year-long holdout, the issue of salaries was, as it has been throughout the history of the game, hotly debated—some thought ballplayers were grossly overpaid during a period when the average annual salary in the United States was just under $675.
Amos Rusie
The Fort Wayne Gazette published the following in an effort to address “much questioning as to the salaries paid young players at the present time.”
According to The Gazette National League players averaged $175 to $250 a month “all the way up to $5000 for veterans.”
Other league salaries:
Eastern League: $100-$150 for young players $200-$250 for stars
Western League: $75-$150, up to $300 for stars
Atlantic League: $75-$250
Western Association: $65-$115
Southern League: $75-$100
New England League: $75-$125
Interstate League: $65-$150
The Gazette came down on the side of the players:
“It is customary to speak of the high salaries and easy lives of National League players but the kickers seldom realize that the man who now supports his little family in comfort on $300 a month—probably had to slave two years for perhaps $75 a month, $450 a year…and a probable loss of salary whenever the little league he played with disbanded in arrears.”
Baseball History Daily 
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