The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-01
NATIONAL BALL LEAGUE
ANNUAL MEETING ATTENDED BY ALL
MAGNATES EXCEPT ONE.
Edward HanIon's Plan for Preventing
ROwdy NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. by the
Board OF Arbitration.

| York Base Ball Club, all the National
| League magnates are here attending the
annual meeting which convened to-day at
| the Southern Hotel. A. H. Soden, OF Bos-
| ton, held the proxy of Mr. Friedman. Those
present are: n. E. Young national president
and secretary; r. H. Young, secretary ma
tional board; A. H. Soden and w. H. CO.
nant, of Boston; F. A. Abel and C. H. Eb-
| bits, OF Brooklyn; A. j. Reach and John /.
Rogers, Of Philadelphia; Edward Hanlon, CT
Baltimore; j. E. Wagner. of Washington;
| W. H. Watkins, of Pittsburg; John T.
| Brush, of Cincinnati; Frank De Hass Rob
ison of Cleveland; J. Hart, of Chicago;
| H. C. Pullam, of Louisville: and Chris Won
| der Abe and B. S. Muckenfuss, of st. Louis.
| A number of minor league officials are also
on the field to look after their respective
interests and to make whatever dickers for
players they may be able to do. Among
them are President Hickey, of the Western
| Association; Tom Lotus, president Of the
| Columbus Western League team, and c. B.
| Power president of the Interstate League.
! Jimmie Manning, of the Kansas City Club,
| is expected here tomorrow
There is considerable work to be done by
the league meeting. The adoption of the
| playing schedule. the drafting of new rules,
especially one looking to the doing away of
| rowdy ball. end the appointment of a new
| chief of umpires and the selection of his
staff are the principal matters up for ac-
| ton. Ned Hanlon, who represents the mi
| nority of the rules committee, will report
| the following rule to do away with rowdy
| ball playing:
IF any manager, captain or player use
any obscene foul or loudly profane Ian
glage to or within hearing OF either umpire,
rsn f1T11if or tn mil o.
| lent act against the person OF umpire,
| player or SPECTATOR 1t shall be the duty of
| field and out of the grounds for the re-
| mainder of the game. 1t shall also be the
| duty of such umpire to report in full such
| language, or an account of such violence or
] threatened violence to the president of the
league by letter, Immediately after the
| game, and in fragrant cases to telegraph
| briefly the facts to the president, and 1t
| shall thereupon be the duty of the presi-
| dent to punish such offender by suspension
or prohibition from playing in any league
| game for such time as he may deem proper.
| The president may. upon receiving tele-
| graphic information from an umpire OK
such offense suspend the player ternporari-
| " until he receives the full information and
can act thereupon. In case the statement
| of the umpire is denied, 1T shall be the duty
| of the president to investigate and learn
! the truth of the matter and act accord
There is some speculation as to who will
| be appointed to fill the place on the na-
| tional board of arbitration made vacant
| by the death of Charles H. Byrne Ned
| Hanlon, John l. Rogers and c.. H. Ebbits
| are those most prominently spoken of in
| this connection. There is another story out
| to the effect that outsiders are after the
| st. Louis Browns.
MAY PURCHASE THE BROWNS.
H c. Pulliam, of Louisville, had this to
say of report that prominent distillers of
his city had formed a syndicate to pur
chase the Browns: "a millionaire distiller
Inf mot ma ing hpfnr
for the League meeting. He told me to in
vestgate the condition of the st. Louis
club, to see what a clean bill of sale of it
| could be secured for. He said that if, after
| investigation, the property was found worth
| buying, and that it could be secured for a
! reasonable figure, he would buy it if only on
| speculation. His plan is to buy the club
and place Arson at the head Of it. That
| look over the ground find out just what
| the club can be bought for. and then re-
| port to my friend in Louisville Should he
| get the club it will be good thing for the
| League, for he III man with unlimited
capital, and would be sure to put first
The national board of arbitration held a
meeting which lasted without intermlsston
| from 1890 a. m. until almost O'Clock Con
| siderable business was disposed of Pres
| ident n. h. Young presided and there We're
present A. I'll. Soden, of Boston; F. DeHass
| Robson, of Cleveland; J. A Hart, of Chi
cage, and John Il. Brush, of Cincinnati
| The petition of Harry Berte for release
from the Quincy club was dismissed The
Western League had accepted the services
| Of the disbanded Quincy club members and
| transferred the club to Ottumwa This ac-
ton was ratified titled J. g. Her 81 pe5it3n
| ing. Pa, club was granted, and the petition
| of W. +. Mcfarland for release from reser-
walton by the Norfolk club was denied, as
| the latter club had agreed to exempt him
| from reservation. w. W. Clarke petitioned
Antonio club, and the request was granted
W. K. Lyons, of the Youngstown club,
asked for his release on account of of an al
! ter was referred to President Young, with
| instructions to notify Lyons that the club
had complied with all requirements of the
national agreement. For that reason it
A request of President Powers, of the
| Eastern League for permission to hold ex-
| hibition games in National League terri
tory, prior and subsequent to the regular
season, was presented. It vas decided that
play games in the territory of the major
| league without permission of the latter
| The claim of the Lancaster club for
| James Hannivan, who was reserved by
Brooklyn and traded to Rochester. was
| dismissed, as was also the claim of w.
| for two days salary. The board found no
evidence to show that the St. Louis man
agement had agreed to pay Hutchinson the
The Atlantic League was ordered to pay
| by May Is. 1898, whatever is due players
| Fox and McVeagh and any other players
| to which it had become indebted by reason
of assuming the liabilities of the Athletic
club.
| All the correspondence had to date be-
| tween the Cleveland and Milwaukee clubs
and Player Bert Jones, whom the major
| league team had purchased, along with the
| agreement was read. Action on the matter
| was deferred for future developments as
| to Jones's playing ability.
On motion it was decided that the money
| advanced by Ted Sullivan to start the New
| Jersey State League should be refunded,
and it was so ordered.
THE DRAFTING RULE.
Eastern and Western leagues, Glass A,
asked that rule be adopted providing that
! only two players could be drafted by Ma
tional League club from one minor league
club in any one seasoe, and that each play
er would have to be in Class A for two con-
secutive years The National League pro-
posed that its clubs should have the right
to borrow players for thirty days, and that
they be allowed to purchase players from
minor league clubs at a stipulated price to
be agreed upon and placed in the hands of
the National president, the major league
clubs taking players on trial for not to ex-
coed thirty DAYS. If not satisfactory, the
money would be returned to the purchas-
| ing club This proposition was rejected by
L. -.