The evening times., 1898-12-15
WASHINGTON As 4
minor LEAGUE TOWN
The Senator's Part in a Pro.
posed Combination.
PLANS OF THE "BIG FOUR"
Two Eight Club Circuits Embraced
in the Scheme.
.Pepper'' Reitz Traded for Slasle,
O'Brien and Padden, of the
Pittsburs Club.
PLANS OF THE "BIG FOUR

| baltimore ana Brooklyn IeiLdiiiiliS Az 'he
minority. This move is taken to mean
that Robson. of Cleveland, will ultimate
| ly land his crack team in st. Louis pro-
| viding other details of n more gigantic
baseball deal are carried through.
From authentic inside information re-
ceivcd today the magnates who are engi-
neering the scheme will try to arrange
monopoly to control professional base
ball all over the United States. The plan
is TO band together sixteen of the largest
cities in the control of the national agree
ment, these cities to be divided into two
sections of eight clubs each. In this way
the big four of the league-Brush, Hart,
Soden and Robison-will gain the end they
have had in view fer years, in that they
| will he able to establish an eight-c.ub cir
cult, TO be composed of Boston, New York,
| Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincin-
| natl, PittSburg and st. Louis as the ma
jor organization. The corresponding cir
| cult will work in harmony. and this will
! be made up Of probably Baltimore, Wash
| ngton, Buffalo, Cleveland, Louisville, In
! dianapoliS, Detroit and either Milwaukee
or Kansas City. This is the scheme that
| has been hatched by the moguls and indi-
cations point TO an early arrangement,
thrown in the way.
The turning down of Won der Ahe yes
terday morning was said to be the first
move To bring the scheme to an issue.
When the magnates adjourned Tuesday
night AIuckenfuss had gained partial
| victory and when the delegates assem-
| bled they knew where they stood. Won
der Abe was questioned by John l. Rog-
ers, the Philadelphia delegate, who
| brought forth evidence TO show that
Muckenfuss. who. year ago was ap
pointed the representative of the St. LOU
is club by Won der Abe, had never been
legally Withdrawn and with this in view
the league proceeded 10 take another
vote. As on Tuesday, the clubs stood 8
to 2 in favor of Muckenfuss and the lat
ter was instructed TO take the vacant
place on the board of directors. In eX
planning this action the magnates sent
a representative out into the corridor who
made a statement something like this:
las Muckenfuss has been appointed re-
ceiver of the St. Louis club by the
courts, the league does not intend to take
action that will in any way be in con-
tempt OF that court. BY upnolding the
law, the league figures that if Won der
Abe attempts TO make a fight in the
courts OF ST. Louis he will be unable to
turn down the receiver who has been ap-
pointed by these same courts. Won der
I Al
day that Muckenfuss, besides being re-
ceiver Of the property, was also the au-
thoriZed representative of the club.
Therefore, the league could take no other
action. Just how Won der Abe can get
out injunction against the league is 4
mystery. The league is not a corpora
ton, but 4 verbal copartnershp, so to
speak"
The next step to be taken IN the matter
! n Iplgya+a . WI n
not care 10 have his name published He
said that when the receivers sale OF the
clubs assets takes place the purchaser
is almost sure to be the Cleveland mag
nate, Robson. AS another knockout for
Won der Abe, the board of directors Of
the League ordered the st. Louis club 10
pay a stated sum TO the Chicago cub for
the services Of Decker. In view Of the
fact that the St. Louis club is bankrupt
this additional financial burden is calcu-
lated to be felt.
Those who realize that the metropolitan
district can well support two clubs PRO-
vided they can produce winning teams,
are busy advocating the retention of
Brooklyn in the larger eight-club circuit
and have suggested combination of the
Baltimore and Brooklyn teams. The
matter appears likely to be realized.
A more compact circuit in the East
! than Boston, Brooklyn. New York and
! Philadelphia could not be arranged and
! with formidable teams in all four ci les
there would be increased profits for
: every club in the League. With Balti-
more out of the way it would be an easy
matter, il IS believed to proceed with the
, Western end of the circuit. Robson in
/ St. Louis would do away with Cleveland
and the dropping cut OF Lou;svil la would
complete the scheme
But, owing to objections that are al
most sure to be made by certain club
owners n better plan must De arranged
it appears, SO that the large eight-cluh
circuit can be perfected without creating
! dissatisfaction in any quarter. Accord
ingly, the idea of organizing another
eiGht-club circuit to act in unison with
the larger one is regarded as the only
| feasible move. The presence of Ber
Johnson, president of the Western
League, and other representatives of that
I | organization at the Fifth Avenue Hote
r | is thought significant.
With Baltimore. Washington, Buffalo
= and Cleveland for one quartet and Louis.
vile, Detroit, Indianapolis and Milwaukee
= or Kansas City for another, an ideal cir.
e cult might be arranged. Better still, two
6 clubs might be established in Philadelphia
p and Chicago, thereby having a circuit o.
- Philadelphia. Baltimore, Washington ant
n Buffalo in the East, with Cleveland. Lou
isville, Detroit and Chicago in the West.
The Western League Clubs are willin:
to enter the scheme. BY such an arrange
ment, the clubs in the minor circuit al
of whom are playing twenty-five cen
r ball, would be able to live because O
V the compactness of the circuit
n If the minor cities will agree to tb,
L siXteen-ciub plan, it is expected that :
e new ironclad agreement, to hold goo,
: for ten years, will be drawn I'D anC
n signed by all interested.
. a national board of arbitration. compos
= ed of representatives of both circuits
e would, of course, be necessity and ;
n worlds championship series between tn,
Il two pennant winners almost a certainty
= In word, the magnates want to es.ab
# lish the old league and American Associa
. tion circuits as nearly as possible In,
;. under such compact that there will h
: no conflict, no enmity and total absence
s of anything calculated to produce anoth
n er baseball war
d Ihe proportions of this deal are so grea
d that when the magnates had disposed O
s Won der Ahe's case at o'clock yesterda-
: afternoon they adjourned until tomorrow
at IL O'Clock. But they did not cease thei
labors, for they went off into privat
rooms or to other hotels and discusse,
: the matter from every point of view.
Z The board of directors went into ses
sion after the League had adjourned an,
:. settled the Decker case. Then the ma
J, tfonal board convened, and after a ses
:, sion of two hours adjourned the chair
|. man saying that there was nothing TO
h publication.
The first deal for players pulled througl
since the baseball men arrived in tow,