Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-27
Statement as to the Future of Another
Base Ball Organization.
GOOD CONTESTS AT POPULAR PRICES
A" Eight-c'uba Federation and the
Cities RePfesented Therein.
CURRENT SPORTING NEWS

The reputed head and originator of the
rev base ball organization to enter into
competition with the National League and
American Association next season is To-
Gated in this city in the person of Mr..
Michael B. Scanlon who has been identi-
fed with the national game off and on for
the past twenty-five years as a, magnate
or manager. The recent utterances of the
National League magnates concerning the
contemplated organization has called forth
q protest from Mr.. Scanlon who fires the
first gun Of the base ball war in the follow
ing statement:
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
1t is less than thirty days since the first
mention publicly made of the new base
ball organization, and today columns of
the newspapers from Maine to California
are taken up in discussing it's prospects.
Our friend Wagner of Philadelphia, who
controls the old organization here, has
started the triphammer of misrepresenta-
ton, knocking the contemplated associa-
ton before its organization before its cir
cult has been made grounds secured or
players signed, thus giving evidence of his
alarm at the prospect of rival whose main
aim will be to give the public good ball,
ard, succeeding in this, then to make
money.
not complete its organization, why, then,
go much alarm by MIR. Wagner and his
associates? 1t seems silly to me to waste
time in discussing things that cannot be.
OF course. no one can object to Mr.. WaS-
ner expressing his views, but we have
right to ask that the matter be discussed
fairly and honestly. We think the public
have too long been hoodwinked and bum
coed by the National League in unfulflled
promises We believe they will give their
support to organization such as we pro-
pose to give them, and in that belief we
propose to launch our bark on the sea OF
base ball.
Chris Won der Abe is not the st. Louis
end of the new association. Every one who
knows anything about the National League
knows that they will reduce their organ
ization to eight clubs at the moment they
can see their way clear to do so. l have
known for the past two years that Louis
vile has been the stumbling block. and,
could it have been settled with, Robson
and Hanlon would have gladly accepted
what was offered them and Baltimore and
Cleveland would have dropped out. Mr..
Wagner would then be forced to settle on
the leagues terms and retire. He is mere
ly holding on now 50 as to be III position
to secure his slice when the change comes.
He is not expecting to make money from
his gate receipts He has been here eight
years and his club, now is in no way SUI
Icrior TO the one turned over to him. If
a club cannot be improved in that time,
then it is time for change. The public de-
mand a change. L know hundreds of old
patrons of the game who never witness
game now.
This city is acknowledged to be one5 of
the best base bali cities in the Union, and
every game Should draw from 200 to 3.b'p
people Our bleacheFS will be covered and
their occupants protected from the blazing
sun and made as comfortable as possible
at cost of p cents for each person. This
is the first time | have publicly criticised
the Washington club. j am well and. | be-
Hf1-a ia Ia
world l entered base ball as manager and
Part owner of the National club, Nationa!
Association, in 1873 our great rival for
championship honQrs that year being the
Albany club, with the following players:
Tobin. first base; Dunlap, second base;
Burns, third base; Say. shortStop; Hanlon,
left field; Thomas, center field; Rocap, right
field; Critsley and DriscOil, pitchers; Keen
an and Sullivan, catchers. The National
players were Lynch and Derby, pitchers;
Trott, catcher; Myerly, first base; Booth.
second base; Eliick, third base; Mcclellan,
ShOrtStoD ManSell. left field Baker, center
field; one of the pitchers playing right field
(ten men in alb, and we tied the Albanys
for the championship. / started the Union
Association in 1854 the capital of the
Washington club being $1,000. On my re
turn from Pittsburg, where We held our
first business meeting, l found the whole
machinery of the National League and
American Association directed against me
and the early demise of the aSSocia-
ton was predicted. Mr.. l.. Monkey had
strong team in the American Association,
with beautiful grounds and finely equipped
buildings at 9th and S streets, with Sloo,oO
backing behind him. Among my players
We're Baker and. Wise of this city. Mr.
Monkey offered them more salary than
felt justified in paying them. but they re-
fused to so with him, saying, I'VE know
Scanlcn and he is good enough for us.
You can readily see what fight we had on
cur hands-S1 600 against S100,000. But we
won out, and before the season was over
we had the pleasure of playing for ben
eft to get Monkeys players out of town.
We played the season out and made mon
ey. In 1885 we went into the Eastern
League and won first honors and a purse
Of 5000.
If 1 am enabled to be a member Of the
new organization with a team. located here
attorneys will have no terrOrs for me. I
have met them before. We hear a great
deal of talk about the failure of the
brotherhood. Did they have one thorough
business man among them? If they did
have failed to find him. As an illustra-
ton of the management of the brother
hood we will take the Brooklyn club. They
started with a capital of $4,000. OF this
amount they expended $4,000 on a grand
stand. leaving them only one-ffth of their
capital for a rainy day. If | had been
managing for them I should have put SI0,
0,D in the grand stand and grounds and
Kept $1,000 for the rainy day. Any other
experienced base ball man would have
done the same.
l am confident that Washington will be
represented in the new association, and
that there will be no league club here next
year. 1t will be the same in Baltimore,
with MeCraw and Robinson controlling the
new club. Philadelphia and New York are
both good bail towns, and capital is in hand
to back the enterprise in those cities They