Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-03
A SECRET COMBINE,
Startling Allegations About
the Conduct of Base
ball Magnates.
RULERS OF THE LEAGUE.
A New Cricket Organization Formed
and officers Elected.
THE INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS.
Latest Gossip About the English Varsity
Crews Training.
RULERS OF THE LEAGUE.
THE INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH. ]


NEW YORK, April lit will be news of
a startling nature to the baseball world
that the new big Twelve Club League is
governed and controlled by a combination;
that four votes absolutely carries the day in
all its present actions; that the four Oldest
League clubs are helplessly under the feet
OF the American Association element and
are liable to remain there.
The formation of this combination took
place in Indianapolis and other Western
cities before the recent consolidation was
made and was part OF the agreement where
by Louisville, St Louis and the Athletics
were won over.
The combination of control comprises the
clubs from ST. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Louisville, Brooklyn, Washington and
Baltimore. This combination votes as
whole on all important questions and also
in the election of officers, and a caucus
always controls the vote. -Four votes out
of the seven, it is agreed, will govern the
other three in caucus, and so four clubs by.
this agreement or compact can control (and
in one case at least has actually controlled)
the new League legislation. The real big
represents Louisville), Byrne and Brush.
There is a ring within this ring, although
this latter disclosure will be a surprise to
Robinson, Barnie and Vonderhorst
Denials MAY Be Expected.
The existence of this controlling cabal
and its methods will, of course, be.generally
denied, because to acknowledge would be
TO overthrow it; but there is no more ques-
tion about its formation and workings than
there is about the existence of the Consoli-
dated League.
Such a combine existed in the American
Association from about 1885 until 1890. 1t
originated with Zach Phelps, who believed
that three or four of the brainiest men in the
Association should pull together on all i'm
portant measures and control the organiza-
ton He picked out his men, approached
them with the scheme and everyone agreed
10 it. Had one of the other three objected
to or repudiated the plan it would have
fallen through.
The men he selected for the council of
four, besides himself, were William Barnie,
of Baltimore: o. 2. Caylor, of Cincinnati,
and c. H. Byrne, of Brooklyn. 1t was de-
cided that three of these four men agreeing
should control the fourth vote. and their |
three votes, if they could not carry meas
ure to success, could at least defeat any |
scheme TO which the three were opposed, |
and the slate of three of these four men for |
officers and committee would either be
elected or block the election of any other
nominations by reason of tie vote.
The secret combination existed in the
American Association for several wears, and
frequently one of the four would radically |
differ from the other three on some measure. |
but he would be compelled to abide by his |
agreement ard vote rs the caucus decided. |
When the four divided upon any question,
which was seldom, the combination was, of |
course, ''nat in it,
When Phelps Retired.
After a few wears went bv Phelps retired |
from the Louisville club and Speas, of Kan
sas City, took his place The combination |
then was Speas, Stern, Byrne and Barnie,
Caylor having been relegated TO inactive
baseball life bv the action taken at the /
Cleveland meeting in 1856 or 1887.
1t was this latest combine which caused |
the deadlock in the fall of 1889 at the AS
sociation annual meeting and which re-
suited in the split OF that once powerful
body. The combine supported Wheeler c.
Wyckoff, the incumbent for President, be-
cause he had been Sim with them and
acted as their executor in all their secret
plans The other four clubs in some way
had gotten knowledge of the Big Four's wav
OF doing business and they too formed
consolidation of their own. Then came the
three davs' deadlock at the Association's an
nual meeting in 1889, which resulted finally
in the sudden jump of the Cincinnati and
Brooklyn clubs into the National League.
After Bvrne and Stern deserted Barnie and
Speas the Big Four showed this fragment
of the old original cabal no mercy and they
were compelled also TO pull out, Speas go
ing to the Western Association and Barnie
10 the Eastern League.
In 1890 Won der Abe, ,Schmelz, Whitaker
and Phelps combined for a governing
power, but they didn t work well together.
Last season Phelps, Won der Abe and
Schmelz acted as a unit in nearly every i'm
portant move made by the Association and
II was through this source that the consoli-
dation of the two great baseball bodies was
effected.
A Mistake Was Made.
When the National League appointed
Soden, Brush and Robinson a secret COM
mittee to work the consolidation scheme, it
made a mistake, for the committee would
never have accomplished what was after
ward done, because Soden would have
refused to have entered secret combination
even had he been asked. But his presence
on the committee would have prevented
of any overtures to Won der
Abe and others TO come into the League
Soden, however, could not give up his time
to go West and Byrne, by request of some
Of the Association people, was substituted.
The original cabal, as formed bv Byrne
and Won der Abe in S.. Louis, was composed
OF six men, intended only to block adverse
legislation as the old original American As
sociation combine had done. The six con-
sisted of Won der Ahe, Byrne, Phelps,
Barnie, Vonderhorst and Brush All but
the latter had at one time or another been
members OF a similar confederation in the
Brush readily fell in with the
plan and coralleG Robinson, who refused to
agree to Sunday ball and was excused.
President Young was put 'on" before his
election, and he is friend nov of the COM
binc. Won der Ahc. Byrne, Phelps and
Brush are combine within the seven-club
combine. They will control all officials and
and will see that Boston. Chi
,ago aud New York are no longer the
dominant parties
Some Very Plain Talk.