The sun., 1896-10-07
MAGNATES RULE FAIRLY.
NATIONAL BOARDS DECISION IN
TIRE WESTERN LEAGUE CASE.

Meetp with Approval by Those ntreceiY
Interested-Tho Board's Membership
Reduced co Four, and Another Meehng
to ne Held In Chicago Next Month.
Tho members Of the National Board OF Arbi-
tration spant the entire day yesterday discuss
ing the trouble in the Western League ana
finally decided upon n line of policy that seems
likely to bear fruits The Board must receive
credit for acting with care and discretion In
matter that provided more complications than
any that has been under consideration for
years. Instead OF high handed methods and So
called piracy, the Board passed upon the merits
Of the case and made such n Just ruling that
every body interested was satisfied.
Tho petition of the Indianapolis and Mlnne-
apolIs clubs for the right TO withdraw from the
Western League and at the samo time hold
their players under tho protection OF the ma
tiopal agreement was dismissed because tho
Board found after n lengthy discussion that II
did not have the necessary jurisdiction In the
matter. But Messrs. Sodon, Byrne, Young. and
Brush, like tho shrewd magnates that they are,
lost no time in so amending the national agree
mont that In the future the Board will have ar
bitrary power to act In any similar case. AT the
same time the Board passed a serles of resolu-
tons that will undoubtedly be read with inter-
est by the six other Western League clubs and
greatly influence them In their future methods
of procedure.
The Board decided to withhold the protection
of the national agreement until the Western
League shall file with the Board COPY of its
original constitution under which 1t has been
operating. BY this the Board expects to find
out and hold censorship over certain irregulari-
ties which, It is claimed, have been in vogue to
tho detriment of the Indianapolis and Mime
apolls clubs The following which was adopt
ed, speaks volumes:
m n 9-The Roard ohnI have
power also to pass upon any question brought before
10 by club member or members OF any organization,
whore unjust discrimination has been made against
any club clubs and II upon u hearing the Board
hnds that snch charge charges true. IL shall
have the to impose such fines penalties as s
deems to forfeit and terminate the privi.
leges Of suoh organization under this agreement
In q word. IL the Board finds that the Indian
apolis and Minneapolis clubs have been illegally
compelled TO pay over 10 per cent. OF their gross
receipts to the Western League treasury it can
said that each OF there clubs paid In over 500,
while Toledo, year ago, contributed s2p;
make the Western League walk on a crack:
pdsaS ef' or s sy sn oy 81 sa
ss,lon under der the national ,nIs BOARD de-
operating under the original constitution which gov
eIned Il a. the time tue protection was granted % T.
beara 10 .he Of the aforesaid application The
% 'n nd MSe .
now operating as required by Article VI. OF national
Rsse!vsd. That action by this Hoard the epplea-
national 6e Ssf.rGed the ad1arned
mestny of M this Board which will be held in Chicago
In other words. the Western League has be-
tween now and Nov; II; the date of its own
patch up truce Nome q: the oId eharses can
be resurrected by tho two complaining clubs,
Sn the
as 1t now exists will sit on that occasion, al
though an election OF new members is on for
The expected rivalry over the selection OF the
dfth member OF the National Board at the com
Ike 6ad MI B1rne espaned ei pneu atsr tho m
Board after due deliberaton decided to reduce
sas tS % being
Tho Board made this move simply because
u was advisable and the only fair thing to do
When the ftth vacancy was created last spring
by the League there was great deal OF contro-
felt that there should be two men bers from the
West and similar number from the East. But
a sectional feeling which should not exist In a
Board OF this nature. 1t appeared to US then
there would be certain amour mt OF embarrass.
ment for all hands. and that in order tu avoid
any trouble 1t was better to out the membership
,"it was also pointed out by Mr.. soden that IL
the Board consisted Of five members IL would
the deciding vote. which would be by no means
pleasant; So the Board. vested with the power
which is clearly stipulated In the national
agreement. voted to reduce the number to four.
This does not imply that this action OF the
Board has any effect on the present member
ship. for the reason that when the League meets
In Chicago 1t will elect new Board and can
select whom they may fit."
Mr.. Brush did not exercise or claim his right
70 vote on the Western League question. but
left the matter entirely TO his associates on the
Board. who were entirely disinterested.
Among the many baseball men about the hotel
during the meeting were F. A: ABEL. John b.
Day. and President Freedman OF the New YORK
Club.