Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-25

An Effort to Adjust the Association ans
League Difference.


An Effort to Adjust the Association and
League Differences.
PRECEDENT KRAMER SAYS THEY HAVE NOTHING TO
coNcEAL-THEY WILL CONFER UPON BUSINESS
BAsIs-A FRANK TALK WITH STAB RIPoRTHR-
The white-winged angel Of peace, with her
feathers somewhat dropped from the damp,
hovers today over the warning magnates Of the
national game. The base ball strife, 80 bitter
and apparently SO permanent, is in a fair why
to be settled today, and even now the repre-
sentatives Of the contending organizations are
discussing the situation and endeavoring to
agree upon . compromise program that will
insure the prosperity Of the game and the
burial Of the Ratchet.
The celebrated peace conference" between
the league and the association. which was
sprung upon an unsuspecting public al few days
ago, has actually materialized and there is
every prospect that it will avail to produce Or
der out Of the chaos that now prevails in the
base ball world. The conference began at 2
O'Clock and is still in progress. Nothing
definite is known of its results which will Drob-
ably not be known until well along in the aft
ernoon.
KRAMER, PHELPS AND Won DER AHE.
believe that the conference would be held, and
various predictions were to be heard last night
and this morning that the magnates. frightened
by the publicity that had been given to their
plans had changed the meeting place to
some obscure town on neutral ground. But
all such theories were set at naught
this morning by the appearance on the reg
of Zach Phelps of Louisville and Louis
kramer OF Cincinnati There was no secret
business about their coming and they gave a
STAR reporter a cordial welcome when he sent
a card up to the room in which they we're dis
cussing the coming conference. With them
was President Won der Abe Of the St. Louis
club. whose mailed hand has been seen more
than once in the trials of the association in its
conflict with the league.
They formed a characteristic trio, those
"magnates." There was Kramer. an easy
talking, suave lawyer: Phelps, a quiet, observ-
ant young man, and Won der Ahe good-natured
and shrewd, with his German accent and his
enormous watch charm.
Mr.. KRAMER TALKS.
The idea that the conferees were going to
light shy OF newspaper men was shattered by
the greeting that was given the reporter as he
entered the little room on the second floor
looking out on Newspaper Row, in which they
were seated. After the introductions were over
Mr. Kramer, who as president of the association
~"0 'ne 6pehesiaah' saia: III course you want
to know all about the conference. Well,
there is nothing to tell yet We are
here according to agreement, ready
to meet the representatives of the league, who
are expected this morning. The hour set for
the conference is o'clock, and we shall prob
ably be occupied for an hour or two at the
start. 1t would be manifestly unfair to them,
besides being indiscreet for me, to say what we
are going to propose. l am not certain what
propositions will be advanced.
FALSE REPORT.
"You can rest assured however, that there
have been q great many false reports started
by the papers since the first news of this meet
ing was printed. A majority OF the statements
about our position are untrue. We are going
to meet the league people in a reasonable frame
OF mind, and we hope to find them ready to tall
sense. There is one thing. however, that You
might say, and that is in CONFIRMATION of the
story that was printed the other day in New York
to the effect that the league was going to send
business men to the meeting to talk business.
while the association had put two lawyers into
its delegation to raise technicalities It is true
that two OF us"--indicating himself and Mr..
Phelps-''are lawyers, but all three of us have
had considerable business experience and we
are prepared to be as business-like and as prac-
tical as any one else. We shall try to live I'D
to that famous clause Of the national agreement
that was supposed to form the basis Of the set
Element OF the Bierbauer-Stovey cases, in which
the board Of control is directed to settle all
controversies in spirit of equity and fair
ness without raising points Of technique.
NO MORE SECRECY THAN NECESSARY.
There will be no secrecy about this meeting
more than is necessary. We shall meet with
closed doors, of course, and there will be but
six Of us, three on each side. Any others that
come will have to wait for their information
until after we have come to a mutual agree
M mt Thnv,n rho1 AI,.A
the peace, If there is to be any,
Gould you, by any stretch Of conscience,
indicate to me any Of the points on which the
will insist" urged the reporter.
mo. Our propositions may be Modified by
them, or their tone or their degree of friendli-
ness. We have our ideas, Of course, formulated
to certain legeee, but we cannot afford to
promulgate them in advance. Some one might
be disappointed"
Then the talk became more general and base
ball In several phases was discussed. Mr.
Kramer explained that the cause of the poor
support given to the Cincinnati association
club was the extreme inaccessibility of the
grounds. The management had selected the
park on the representations of the local
railroad men, who bad promised to give
ample transportation facilities by the opening
of the season. Extra trains were to be run.
new electric roads established and various
other means OF transit afforded but all OF the
promises had failed and the spectators were
Obliged to take slow and circuitous routes to
and from the game, so that the fare one way
often equaied the admission fee. People in
one part of the town were often unable to
reach their homes after the games until 8
o clock and the town became indifferent. On
the other hand. the league games do not draw
because Cincinnati is and always will be an as
ISOLATION city. The people are too accustomed
to 70 cent amusements and so cent base ball
can never be popular.
Mr.. Kramer also spoke Of the great success
of the change in Boston from so to Is cents ad-
mission in the association, calling attention to
the extraordinary record of over A., 600 people
present at the games in the hub last week.
INFERENCEs AND aUEssEs.
From these and other remarks It was in
ferred by the reporter that the association will
not readily consent to q surrender of territory
in either Boston or Cincinnati. The former is
now established as association stronghold
and in the lattec place the management prob
ably intends to profit by this years mistakes
and locate a park for next season that can be
easily reached.
shrewd guesser this morning said that if
he was in the prediction business he would lay
odds on a compromise based ON the adoption
of q temporary reserve rule and the retention
of Boston and Cincinnati by the association
The league fears the approach of that
time when the absence OF a reserve rule
would enable the association to loot every
club that is not backed by a bank,
and the Mountaineering clearly that such
warfare can be conducted by two parties Mt