The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-05
NOT A THREE-FoURTHs VOTE.
THAT is THE CONTENTION THAT
HE RELIES UPON MOST, 1T
SEEMS.
I'm 1t Is to He Found the Secret of
the Whole Trouble In the
League.

Tribune Friday published an article
that throws light on the trouble in
the Western league 1t runs as fol-
lows:
On Monday, Oct 5, the national
board of arbitration, composed of Pres
ident Young, of the National league;
Charles N. Byrne. John T. Brush and
A. II. Soden,w will meet at the Fifth Ave-
nue. hotel, New York, to consider a
petition from the indianapolis and
Minneapolis clubs for withdrawal from
the Western league Their grievance
with their league dates back to last
spring, and was brought before the
national board by John T. Brush, own
er Of the Indianapolis club, and John
Goodnow, of the Minneapolis club.
The trouble started last fall Toward
the end of the season John s. Barnes
was deposed from the ownership of the
Minneapolis franchise, and John Good
now, representing a syndicate of cap
1talists. who is a friend of Mr. Brush,
was given the franchise At the fall
meeting of the league there was some
dissatisfaction expressed at the way
things had been run in Grand Rapids
and Terre Haute. and a new Western
league was organized for five years,
with Indianapolis Minneapolis, ST.
Paul, Detroit, Kansas City and Mil
Waukee as members. Being unable to
fill the vacancies in the circuit, a re-
cess was taken until Nov. %.
BY the terms Of the agreement new
members for five years could only be
elected by unanimous vote, and mem
bers for one year could only be chosen
on a three-fOurthS vote. At the No
vember meeting Columbus was a bone
of contention, Indianapolis and Mime
apol1s wishing to award the contract
TO Burt Dasher, and the other mem
bers favoring Tom LOTUS. LOTUS was
nnally chosen for one year on the
change of the Minneapolis vote, Indian
apolis remaining solid to the end for
Dasher. There was a row over the ad-
mission of Toledo, and it was finally
concluded, at the solicitation of Min
neapoliS, and perhaps Indianapolis to
make Omaha the eighth member. Be-
fore the year was very old it became
patent to all that a club in Omaha
would be a losing venture and at g.
meeting at Milwaukee, on the thresh-
old Of the season, Grand Rapids was
admitted for one year. Minneapolis
and Indianapolis steadily opposed the
ADMISSION of Grand Rapids, and de-
cllned TO vote for any city. Although
there was not a three-fourths vote Of
nVe-year members, the Michigan city
was declared member for one year.
In the meantime-or was it shortly
after this meeting?- National
league held meeting in New York.
new national agreement, vesting
ultra powers in the national board.
was presented for adoption by Mr..
Brush, and went through with whirl.
Th1S new agreemnet contains several
clauses which have an important bear
Ing on minor leagues, and really
makes the national board a supervis-
hOnU
throughout the United States. Some
or the sections were possibly prepared
With a view to complications in the
Western.
Before the playing season commenced
ooth indianapolis and Minneapolis filed
atfldavits with B. B. Johnson, president
of the Western league. Drotestinp
against the admission of Grand Ranids
Rnd refusing to recognize it as a mem
Der. Neither Of these clubs, however.
refused to play the games scheduled
with what they termed the "non-rnem-
Der, and both Of them made regular
trips to Grand Rapids when the
schedule required it. The matter was.
10 all appearances, dropped until If he.
came known a few days ago that these
two clubs had petitioned the national
poard TO withdraw from the Western.
AS the petition was prepared by one
Or the members Of the board which ia
TO sit in Judgment, there is little doubt
as to the outcome. More than likely
Inc western league will be charged
With having violated the national
agreement, and will be declared an
outlaw. The Indianapolis and Minne-
hPolfs people will probably ATTEMPT tn
organize q new Western league but
this may meet with some opposition
rs among the owners Of other clubs in
the league are Charles Comiskey, james
Manning, t. j. LOTUS and G. A. Van
derbeck, and Connie Mack. Of the
Pittsburg club, has just been placed in
charge of the Milwaukee club. Wheth-
er the six clubs remaining in the West
ern league will attempt to fill the
vacancies occasioned by the with
urawal of the two dissatisfied members
and continue despite any action of the
national board cannot be predicted
but the thing has an ugly look to it.
and may result in rupture of the ma,
tlonal agreement.
The remote cause of the whole affair
has it's origin In the Western leagues
many efforts to prevent or block the
farming system. Many members in
sisted that they could not compete with
the Indianapolis club, which had the
Cincinnati team to draw from. When
they thought they had the matter
blocked last spring the new national
agreement was born, which legalizes
FARMS" and efforts to enforce West
ern league edicts were checked through
the national board.
The meeting In New York Monday
will either bring the opposition to In
dianapolis and Minneapolis to terms or
will lead to open rebellion against the
national board If the latter, there is
very likely to be some very interesting
base ball news during the coming
winter
D,.arsSao+ ry3f1iIao 90 +bo 14,1,~,,,,
club. says regarding impending trou-
bles IN the Western league:
1--WE will fight just as anybody would
do under similar circumstances if their
property interests were endangered, .
seid Mr.. Killilea. cit Is the most high
handed undertaking I ever heard of in
my life. l was one of the original
members of the Western league when
it was organized in Indianapolis In 1894
and Ban Johnson was nomi-
mated by Brush himself for the
presidency, But because Mr.. John
son would not be g. tool in
the hands Of Brush and the Nation
al league, he was opposed by them at
the meeting in 1895. BY the united eff
forts of Milwaukee, Detroit, ST.. Paul
and Kansas City we reelected Mr.
Johnson in spite Of the opposition OF
Brush and Goodnow, and now he
wants to run our business. We have
spent money for good players and we
have rights that can be legally pro-
tected, and Mr.. Brush will learn to his
sorrow that base ball law is not the
law practiced in the courts when he
begins to fight us there He will have
TO II our rights to a Western league
franchise are inaperiled. Brush has
offered Harry Quin a Western league
franchise here, according to Quir's
own statement to Joe Ornstein, In
which he said that he met Brush In
fShicaern this week and agreed To IT,