The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-26

CHICAGO, Jan. 25.-President Ban
Johnson, of the Western Base Ball
league. yesterday went over to the pri-
vate office of President Hart, Of the
Chicago club, and promptly INDUCED in
the luxury of private conference with
the official head of the local club. 1t
was a star chamber session, and the
door was barred to everybody. But it
is safe to state that the only topic OF
discussion was the st. Louis Cleveland
muddle.
Johnson had just read the newspaper
reports of Chris Won der Ahe's defeat
in his final effort to regain legal pos
session of the st. Louis base ball plant.
He then realized that the passing of
Chris as a league magnate opens the
way for Frank Robson to transfer his
Cleveland team to st. Louis and make
a fresh effort to recoup on his losses in
base ball. Johnson knew, furthermore,
that if such a deal was contaminated,
there would be a chance, and an ex-
cellent chance at that, to induce the
National league to present the Cleve-
land territory to the Western league.
JohnsOn's object in calling on Hart yes
terday was to discuss the existing tan
gle and devise ways and means to land
Cleveland in the Western circuit. 1t
is difficult to predict the outcome of
the Hart-Johnson confab, although it
is safe to say that something will come
of il.
Hart knows a thing about the politics
of the game, and Johnson is just as
clever in this line. The latter is the
official head and front Of the Western
league and his organization wants to
secure footing in Cleveland. Hart
stands very close to Frank Robson
and John 7. Brush. These two men
are engineering the scheme to land the
Tebeau team in st. Louis. What is
more, they control the Cleveland ter
ritory. There is no love between Brush
and Johnson, but, inasmuch as the
Sational league is more than willing to
unload Cleveland, there is fair pros
pect of Johnson's winning out
If Hart consents to use his influence
with Brush and Robson, the ball
cranks of Cleveland stand a fair show
of enthusing over base ball as it is
played in the Western league.
The main obstacle in the way Of this
diclIer is Robison's oft-expressed de-
sire to retain financial interest in any
team representing Cleveland. The
Western league magnates will never
consent to this. They want to start
IL with a new mana cement new back
ers and fresh lot of players. They
want Tom LOTUS to be at the head of
affairs. If he sees fit to take George
Howe or any other well known Cleve-
lander in with him, all we'll and right,
but for business reasons they intend
tC fight shy of the Robisons.
Just now Frank and Stanley Robson
are not basking in the sunlight of per-
sonal popularity in Cleveland In truth
the newspapers and the patrons of the
game are a unit in denouncing the
pair. For this and other reasons the
Western league is not ready to invite
Ia fhaiT. no,
Der.
To compress long story into sin
gle paragraph, the deal is now up to
Tom Lotus. If he really cares to trans
fer the Columbus team to Cleveland
his fellow magnates in the Western
league will do all in their power to aid
him.
If Cleveland does drop out of the
big circuit, the National league at its
String meeting must rid itself of some
other club in order to begin the season
on a ten-club basis. This will be a
difficult task, and may necessitate the
expenditure of a lot of money, but it
will be done. If the Brooklyn-Balti-
more consolidation does go through.
Won der Horst and Hanlon may be per-
suaded to part with their base ball in
terests in Baltimore. Won der Horst
is out for the money this year, and if
he succeeds in landing in Brooklyn it
is dollars to dimes that he will refuse
no reasonable offer for the luckless
Orioles-always provided said offer is
for cash on delivery.
Mr.. Hart made his usual diplomatic
excuses in declining to discuss the ST.
Louis muddle yesterday
4 am in no way connected with the
st. Louis club he said, and really
cannot talk of an affair in which 1 am
not directly interested. Of course 1
have read of Won der Ahe's defeat in
the St Louis courts, but I have no
comments to make
President Johnson was not in the
mood to talk. He said that Tom LOTUS
had not been in Cleveland, and that
as far as he knew the Columbus team
will continue to do business in Column
bus this year.
According to President Hart, there
are no new developments in the sew
eral deals for players in which the Chi
cago club is directly interested.
TERRE HAUTE KICKING.
~
Doesn't Want the Allotted Date in