Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-04
NOTHING TO SELL
Mr.. Scanlon Says Mr.. Wagner Has
Signed No Players.
HITCH IN THE LOCAL BASE BALL DEAL
Present Owners to Have an Asso-
citation Club in Philadelphia.
NO WAR IS PROBABLE

The hackers and friends of the proposed
new base ball association have been max
ing their ways toward New York for the
past week. and today and tonight will hold
their first meetings. From this time on 1t
is expected that base ball history will be
made in great chapters and the close fol-
lowers Of the game will have plenty of
news during the coming winter. Last
nights prize fight a powerful magnet
in drawing sport-loving people to New
York. and incidentally, many of these will
remain over Sunday to ascertain what will
develop from the meeting.
The inside information that has come to
Mr.. Michael Scanlon during the past week
has brought the negotiations to purchase
the local club from the Messrs. Wagner to
a standstill, and until something definite is
arrived at by either the new association
or the league, nothing further will be done
in the matter. Mr.. Scanlon assured The
Evening Star reporter this morning that he
had obtained all the backing necessary to
purchase the Senatorial outfit, but to pur-
chase now was something on the order of
buying pig in a poke"
The intention of the syndicate l repre-
sent, said Mr.. Scanlon, was to raise $780,
ooo. This has been done. Thirty thousand
was to lie given to the Wagners and the
remaining $780, was to be used in pur-
chasing players to strengthen the team.
The visit of Messrs. Quinn and Schae-
fer last Sunday to this city placed a new
phase on the local situation and brought
the negotiations to standstill. Suppose 1
was to turn $4,000 over to the Wagners
today what would | get for 1t? Nothing
but the lease to the grounds and the i'm
provements therein. Not player has been
signed for next year and from the indis-
crimnate way the players of the different
clubs of the league have been secured for
a a lon ln ,,,,ll
for me to pay out that much money and
receive so little in return. The Messrs
Wagner are anxious to sell, and l am con-
fdent | can reopen the negotiat lions at any
time. With the local players names fixed
to contracts for next season / will know
exactly what L am buying. but $50, 900
strikes me as being too large a sum for
the lease and Improvements alone"
Few Players Signed by the League.
A close scrutiny of the bulletins issued
by President Young of the National League
will show that not more than twenty five
OF the 30 players or more have been signed
for next season. Under these conditions it
is claimed that it would be foolish to buy
almost any club in the league. as without
the players connected with it the franchise
would be almost worthless As one on the
inside said: Take the Brooklyn Balti-
more club an illustration. Suppose two
or three of the stars of these two teams
should be secured by the association,
what chance as money makers would they
have. The Orioles are not worth nickel
without McGraw and Robinson, and with
Kelly. Dahlen, and Jennings out of the
'Superbas' that aggregation would be
worth but little more. This is the situation
that confronts Mr.. Scanlon, and he is wise
to protect his friends by holding off to
await developments
The movements and steps taken by the
promoters of the new association during
the past two months are fast fltering into
mi and r. he ola SSpI
otherwise than sensational.
In the West.
The sale of the Pittsburg club is directly
traced to the movement. Mr.. Phil
Auten of Chicago. has been a very large
stakeholder IN the Pittsburg club for the
past couple of years. With the starting
of the new association Mr.. Auten was one
of the original hackers secured, and as
he did not want to be interested in two
base ball organizations he has naturally
disposed of his holding Of Pittsburg stock
The veteran base ball player, Adrien {.
Arson. has found a stanch friend in Mr..
Auten, and ne, it is Yho will back the new
cub in Chicago AS to Mr.. Auten's finan-
cal standing it can be stated that he was
considered about the wealthiest magnate
in the National League. With the new
Chicago club will go Dahlen of the Brook
lyns and Griffith, Lange and Callahan Of
the present team. These players have been
given three-year contracts and a guaran-
tee of its payment by Mr.. Auten. An 4
o. T." from that gentleman is pretty good
paper.
Up in Milwaukee President Quinn has
secured Hugh Jennings name to a contract
to play first base manage and captain the
team, and one or more of the Boston play
ers. In St. Louis Bill Joyce will play first
and captain and manage the team and
with him already are Jesse Burkett, Lave
Cross and Joe Quinn. The Detroit end of
the new association will be in entirely new
hands in thu base ball world. George Stall
ings has been working industriously for the
ps st month working up suitable backing.
and as Magnate Vanderbeck of the West
ern League is very unpopular. this under
taking was quite easy. That covers the
west.
Wagners to Have Philadelphia Club.
In the east it is claimed by base ball
writer's and others on the inside that the
Mossrs Wagners are the ones selected to
take charge of tie Philadelphia club in the
new association, as they had one IN the
Players League, and that they have been
furnishing the little money required to keep
Secretary Frank Hough in fighting trim.
One of the original promoters of the new
association was Arthur Irwin. and early in
the summer he selected Boston as his end
of the game.
The New York Club.
The New York end will be looked after
| by Tom O'Rourke, the prize fight promoter,
and DRY Dollar Sullivan, the owner of
! the Dewey Theater in New York and the
| contemplated Schley Opera House. These
| men are as close to Tammany as Magnate
| Andrew Freedman and 1t will be battle
| royal between these two groups of poliu-
cal workers. The sensational part of the
| New York development is that "Mugsy"
McCrSw is to manage and captain the
| team and that he will have running
mates Catcher Robinson and Second Base
man De Montreville. This arrangement
! will leave Baltimore entirely out of the
| base ball diagram of both organizations, as
| without McGraw the city is dead.
| From the way the different promiNent
| players have been signed and located 1T
| can be taken as Indication that the pro-
| motors of the new league have decided to
| build up their teams the lines brought
out at Baltimore last season. Instead of
| winning over a league team in its entirety
and being saddled with the consequent big
salaries, men of ability will be engaged to
| act as captain and then good players who
are outside the star class will be taken on
| to fill up the remaining positions. With
| Robinson, Rusie De Montrevile and Nc
Graw the start looks promising in New
York. but whether Joe Kelley and Hugh
Jennings can follow in McGraw's footsteps
remains to be seen. The chances are GER
;,I,- I, If}r