Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-19
MIR. HEwETT'S VIEWS.
The Base Ball Situation and Washing
toms Prospects,.

| In a conversation with an Associated Press
reporter President Hewett talked freely and
unreservedly regarding the status Of the
Washington club in the league and the pros
poets for next seasons campaign. He ex-
pressed himself as confident that the league
would not attempt at this late day, to freeze
out Indianapolis and Washington, but frankly
acknowledged that it made a mistake in ad-
uniting Cincinnati and Brooklyn and would
encounter many obstacles with q ten-club
schedule. ut is not true" said Mr.. Hewett,
las has been reported, that there is in exist.
ence today a written agree ment between my
self. Indianapolis and the league to the effect
that neither Washington nor Indianapolis
would be dropped. Before Cincinnati and
Brooklyn were admitted, however, Mr.. Brush
and myself received the word of honor of
every league president that if we desired to
continue our clubs we would not be forced
out and this declaration was admitted and con-
fessed at the late league meeting. This
Is the sole and only reason why we are in the
league today. Neither is it true that was
asAcd or even set price on my franchise. II
such request had been made as business
man II would have been entertained, but since
my return from the league meeting have care
fully surveyed the field and looking at the mat
ter impartially frankly confess that
THE PROSPECTS OF MY TEAM
are today brighter than they have been for a
long tine. / take this view of the case for
many reasons. During the first part of last
season the Washington club on the home
grounds played 1ity odd games and won only
thirteen. The salary list of this team aggre
gate many thousand dollars more than the
present club and quit the season almost even.
Instead or meeting the strong clubs which
we were compelled to encounter regularly last
season we viii meet good teams this season,
is an annarpnt.
especially three or four clubs. whose strength.
like my own team. is an unknown quantity
Mr.. Hewett places no credence whatever in
the rumors emenating from Cleveland but
latterly and more persistently from Pittsburg
that the latter club would retire. There Is only
one club in the west, Mr.. Hewett said. that the
league can afford to drop--that is Indianapolis,
which Is IN the league to stay and will at the
close of the season be among the leaders with
good balance on the right side OF the ledger.
The work on the new grounds is progressing
as rapidly as could be expected" continued
! MIR. Hewett. The players will all be here by
the end OF the week and we will be in trim to
meet our obligations during the exhibition
season. OF course my team is, to a great ex-
! tent. an experimental one but few weeks
practice will enable me to discern the weak
points and there is a deal III view which be-
lieye can be consummated and which will
remedy these defects and give Washington a
strong club"
MI. Leu sullivan Will nave charge OF the
| club from the start and will probably manage
the team during the season.
GETTING THE GROUNDS READY.
Good work was done at Stand Pipe park
yesterday, resulting in the planting of most Of
the fence posts and the erection of a small
work shop on the north side. Mr.. Hewett has
| finally induced the District Commissioners 10
allow him to move the alley on the west side
of the grounds temporarily fifty feet to the
westward, which will materially increase the
size OF the enclosure.
Tomorrow, the Goth, is the day set for the re-
porting OF the men for duty. They will not
have any place i'll which to practice unless Mr.
Hewett can manage to secure the use of Cap
itoI park for few days.
EIGHT CLUB TALK
At formal review of the Boston team YES
terday by the directors Mr.. Conant is said to
have remarked that, notwithstanding all agree
ments and votes of former days, the league will
drop Washington and Indianapolis in order to
reduce the circuit to eight clubs.
These two clubs, he said, had been ruined by
the brotherhood, and their men would be COM
PEELED to join the more powerful clubs or vir-
tually lose the records and regulations. That
is not at all sensible. OF all the league cities
Washington and indianapolis have suffered the
least from the secession of the players The
ball field is left just as free before, and these
two cities are not nearly as badly off as New
York or Boston or Chicago. To be sure all Of
the Washington men deserted and some of the
Hoosiers, but this did not insure any smaller
audience In either of the cities. But for the
principle involved it would be financially far
better to drop Pittsburg and Cleveland, but it
is rather odd for the league magnates to talk
about principle in the same breath with hints
OF agreement-breaking and other shady pro-
ceedings.
BROTHERHOOD STOCK.
Prnt u
doubt. The Thayer decision in Philadelphia
Saturday gave it an impetus that has been felt
all along the line. Col. Rogers of Philadel-
phia Is quoted as saying that the decision does
not Kill the reserve rule by any means; it SIM
ply states that We must make another one 1--WE
distinctly said, over and over again, that We
had no right to demand the players to sign an
other contract with the reserve clause in, but
We asked them to as matter of business. OF
course they had the right to refuse, and Justly
so. We knew when we accepted that contract
that at the end OF the season of 1890 the PLAYERS
we now had under contract, unless we could
get them to renew it, would be at liberty to
sign wherever they pleased
The Worlds special from Boston YESTERDAY
says that Mr.. Hart of the players league claims
that five applications for reinstatement in the
brotherhood were received from league men at
the recent meeting at Cleveland One of them,
he asserted, offered to play for nothing and
playing. This is carrying out the playing for
love idea with vengeance. 1t should make
the grasping, turnstile watching league tyrants
blush for shame if true.
BALL NOTES.
The Chicago league club will have to travel
II 40 miles to fill dates. while the PLAYERS club
will travel $500 miles, difference of $500
miles. The case Is similar with every other
club, the national league teams being forced
to travel from 500 to g. 500 more miles than the
clubs in the players league.-Erchange
The story about Clements and Gleason in.
tending to jump from the league has been
nailed down and labeled lie
Arson continued to win from Brooklyn yes
| terday, the score being To 4.
The Philadelphia club will play Mutrie's men
at Charleston today.
John Ward is in New York
Dunlap is still out of Job.
President Hewett has telegraphed Short StoI
Gleason, who used to play ON the St. Louis
Browns, to report to him as soon as possible.