Evening star., 1897-02-24
MAGNATEs AT RALTIMORE.
Preparing for the National Base Bal
League Meeting.

BALTIMORE. February 24.-Members Of
the National League of Base Ball Clubs
have begun to arrive in Baltimore to at
tend the schedule" meeting which begins
tomorrow morning. Rooms have been en-
gagged at the Rennert, which will be the
headquarters Of the "magnates" and they
are SO arranged that New York, Philadel-
phia, Brooklyn, Boston and Chicago rep
resentetives will be together. while those
who are here in the interest of the other
clubs will have adjoining apartments.
Thus 1t will be seen that the "big five and
the little seven" will be arrayed against
each other from the start.
1t Is pretty sure that the question of Sun
day ball will not be touched upon. There
are radical differences Of opinion in this
matter, but Its present status of club op
ton see ms to f1t the occasion. The question
of aid to the Brooklyn club. II there is to
be such a question need never take on a
phe Sc tending to disruption.
The first thing tomorrow morning will be
the meeting Of the national board and the
board of directors. This function will prob
ably not take place until late in the morn
ing. AIRY complaints by players or clubs in
the national agreement will be adjudicated
at the meeting of the national board. Lates
in the day the business meeting of the
league will take place in secret. Such of
the rews as President and Secretary Young
thinks desirable he will give out, and the
balance Is gotten on the fly
1t now seems that one of the most in
teresting discussions Will be as to the play
ing rules. There is thought to be too
much Mother Hubbard about Chairman
the subject for debate. 1t Is thought that
the meeting may end Friday night but
1t may last until Saturday.
Revising the Board.
A Baltimore paper today prints a sensa-
tional story anent the meeting Of the Ma
tfoEal League OF Base Ball CLUBS to the
effect that very exciting session can he
looked for. and that dissolution of the
big league Is not improbable. The cause
Of the trouble, the paper says, Is the make
up Of the membership Of the national or
executive board Of the league. Its present
members are John T. Brush OF Cincinnati
Charles H. Byrne of Brooklyn, A. H. So
den of Boston and President Young
Two Of these members. Brush and Byrne,
belong to the Little Seven and Soden to
the big Five This board practically runs
the league in fact. Its powers were on the
despotic order before the last meeting of
the league In Chicago. Before that no mat
ter what action the board took It's work
could not be reviewed. everything was final
with them At that meeting this power
was taken away. in SO much as the league
can now overrule the board If 1t sees fit
Magnate Freedman of New York has
been after this board and John Brush In
particular. and 1t was really the formers
persistency that brought about the re-
vision. Since that meeting the Little
Seven has not been idle. and ore of the
largest surprise packages that Mr.. Freed
man has run against in his brief base ball
experience awaits that magnate uDon his
arrival in Baltimore this evening"
The New York magnate has all along
claimed that the boards membership would
be increased to six, and that the two new
members would corle from the big Five"
and that very likely he would be cne Of
the new members. AS Mr. Soden is al
ready on Freedman's side. II the two new
members were also with him the big
Five" would have majority Of the board,
and ther Mr.. Freedman would take Brushs
place the real ruler of the big league.
Two New Members.
The Star can state upon reliable author
ity that the executive board will be
larged. but that the two members. instead
of fighting un Ter FIeedman's banner. have
deserted the Rig Five" and will, in the
future. be found among the forces of the
Cincinnati magnate.
Who these two members are cannot be
made public yet. but any one at all IA
miliar with base ball history can place the
fir ger of Identification upon the two west
ell members Of the Big Five" and not
miss the guess by many inches. Two things
that lead to the picking of these two clubs
are the Sunday ball question and old as
SCclat1OnS. ne ChlcaS0 club fat OrS play
ing ball on the first day of the week and
the Pittsburg club originally belonged to
the old association.
This new turn Of affairs means a great
upheaval in the base ball world. John T.
Brush will be able to do almost as he
pleaSes, while Mr.. Andrew Freedman will
awake to the fact that he is very small
fish i'll very large pond.
The Little Three.
The big Five" will dwindle down to the
Little Three" and anything the other nine
clubs want in the way of advantageous
dates. desirable players or local legislation
as to rate of admission, will most assured
ly be theirs.
After the board is .reorganized the two
principal questions to be brought before it
will be the reduction of admission in Brook
lyn and the settlement of the Rusie case
Under the circumstances 1t will not be a
hard matter to outline what the final result
viii be upon both these matters.
All the league magnates will be in Balti-
more this evening, and the chances are
that the meeting will end harmoniously
Friday night. although the commencement
may be full Of chickering's and strife.
BOWLING.
The Carroll Institute and Washington
Athletic Club rolled match set OF ten pins
4