Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-13
LEAGUE MAGNATES At WORK
Most important Base Ball Meeting Since
Famous Brotherhood Year
REDUCTION OF The CIRCUIT PROPOSED
,. Earl wnRner Of Washington seems
20 He the Man to whom PROPOSE
lions WIIl Have 10 Bc Made
By MnRHHtes.

NEW YORK. Dec. 12-The magna,es of
the National Baseball league began their
annual fall meeting here today. Not iu
years, perhaps not since the famous broth
crh0od year, has "a league meeting been
charged with 30 much " importance az The
present one, and there BE- no fJrecastIng with
any degree Of certainty what is results
will be-
First and 'oIomoz, will be- the discussion
over the proposed reduction Of he circuit
Then the question of roHdysn viii be
thresbcd over once more.
J. Earl Wagner of Washington seems 20
lc the man 10 whom Propositions viii have
80 be made ~ the circuit rs reduced 20 eight
clubs as has been proposed. As mat'ers
stand Drayfuss, with his new holdings In
the PlttsbuTg club might easily be brought
10 dispose of hs L0uisyille franchise which
has been q loser for many seasons The
same may ba said u the Robinson8 To
them the Cleveland franchise has been
burden, Wh!lo the st. Louis franchise bought
last year i7 a profitable one. As to the
Brooklyn Baltimore syndicate, IL is said that
the 0wucfs are not ayerse 10 dropping Baltl-
more fDr consideration
when President Young called the members
into session there were present. a. J. Reach
and Colonel John / Rogers, Philadelphia:
a. II sodcn and Mr.. conant, Boston; J.
Earl Wagner, Washington Harry Won der
Horst. Ned Hanlon. Charles Ebhetts and
Gus ABell representing the Brooklyn Balti-
more interests; Fred Knowles, representing
Andrew Freedman Of this city President
Kerr, pittsburg James Hart, Chicago John
r. Brush and his new manager Robert Al
len, Cincinnati; Barney Dreyfuss and Harry
Puliam, Louisville, and Frank DeHaas
Robson and Stanley Robson, representing
the 81. Louis Cleveland syndicate.
The board Of arbitration, consisting Of
Messrs Young, Hart, Brush, Soden, Rogers
and Frank Robson went into session and
took up the contests Of various clubs over
tho services Of certain playera.
BrookIyn-Tew York Controvcrsy.
The Brooklyn New York controversy over
the Wrigley matter was the most important
case under consideration Wrigley played
with the Syracuse team Of the Eastern
league last year At the conclusion OF the
Eastern league season, on September -, he T.
signed TO play out the remainder Of the !
National league season with New York. /
Subsequently the Brooklyn club bought |
Wrigley's release from Syracuse and, act
ing under instructions from President I
Powers Of the Eastern league Wriglcy went |
TO Brooklyn TO finish the season. The New |
previous ruling by the board of arbitration
tho Syracuse club could sell Wrigley, but |
his contract with the club to which he was
cold did not become binding until the be-
ginning OF the next season. In other words,
iDasmuch al Wrigley was not sold TO
Brooklyn until after the conclusion OF the
Eastern league season the New York club
claims that his contract with the Eastern
league was binding for the remainder Of the
season.
II tho board sustains the protest OF the
New York club all the games played by
the Brooklyn team in which Wrigey took
part may be thrown out.
President Salspaugh and Manager Walter
Wilmot of Minneapolis appeared before the
board and claimed two players, Joe Schrall
and Pitcher Mccain. These two players
were with the Hamilton (Ont) team. At
the conclusion OF the season both Detroit
and Minneapolis negotiated for them. De-
trolt got them, but II Is claimed that the
Detroit management never made good the
stipulated purchase price to the Hamilton
club, whereas the Minneapolis club did. In
view Of this the. Minneapolis management
claims the services Of the two players in
question.
President Powers is at the meeting also
for the purpose Of trying to get better legIs-
IatiOn for the small leagues relative to the
service rule. He wants the purchase price
y h.ch the major league shall pay for play
c.s li class A, minor league teams, raised
from 800 to 81 900 II Is sald that the big
lcagU, viii grant this conccgsion l.