Evening star., 1900-03-07
Base Ball Ma mates Gathering at
Annual Spring Meeting.
CIRCUIT COMMITTEE REPORT
Great Secrecy Prevails as to the
Intentions Of the Leaders.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS
Special Dispatch to The Evcring Star.

NEW YORK. March Base ball men
big and little, famed and obscure-dotted
the corridors of the Fifth Avenue Hotel
last night. They had come to attend-in the
capacity of magnate or onlooker-the twen-
ty-ffth annual reconvened meeting of the
National League. The serious tenor of the
small groupings of club owners easily
presaged the major leagues arrival at the
eve of it's most important session since that
of the adoption of the Indianapolis agree
ment In 1894, when twelve clubs banded to-
gether in ironclad compact to perpetuate
the national organization for ten years.
This agreement was about to be broken by
unanimous consent.
Bad management and league politics.
coupled with mistakes Of over-reaching
leaders. and the relegating of the sport
end of the game to the self-aggrandize
ment of financial hackers, had finally
worked the harm. Not only were two cities
ready to drop by the wayside; the mischief
did not end there. The failure of these two
meant the immediate or eventual dragging
down of more formidable pair of base
ball cities. The metropolis of Maryland,
where three successive championships were
won by club that revolutioniZed the Sys-
tenn of bail playing and even the capital of
the nation. which had shown itself a con-
sistent sport-patronizing center under most
depressing conditions, were also threatened
with possible loss of franchise in the ma
tional organization.
So, among the men who talked, thought
and looked base ball last night it was not
a question of the next circuit being COM
posed of ten clubs but whether eight big
cities alone would henceforth compose the
sadly un-nationalized National League.
Indications.
Judging, however. from appearances and
the talk of two members of the circuit re-
duction commttee-Messrs. Soden and
Rogers, who arrived late last night-the
dropping of Washington and Baltimore was
more in the nature of the unexpected.
There remains one chance, it is stated, for
reducing the circuit to eight clubs. What
this one chance is was not divulged. APP
parently, II Is the resurrection of the two
eigh-club league scheme the adoption of
which would mean the placing of Baltimore
and Washington in the American Associa-
ton. Were it not for the shadows cast be-
fore of a coming opposition league, the dis
position of these two cities would be an
easy matter. AS it is, the league is COM
PEELED to provide all territory abandoned
against the threatened competition.
The continually recurring stories that the
Wagners and Baltimore owners We're to be
forced out of the league in case they
fused to accept reaSona BILE compensation for
their holdings was vigorously denied last
night by both Messrs Soden and Col. Rog-
ers. the latter making the following state
meut to The Star reporter:
No SandbaEging.
This idea of the league partners resort
ing to sandbagging methods to get rid of
this or that club is all wrong. We have
been appointed on this circuit reduction
committee TO get the best terms from four
certain clubs for the REIMBURSEMENT of their
franchises and holdings In the National
League. Whatever is done will be done in
a fair, business-like way. We simply report
the result of our deliberations to the league
and if it then decides that the Washington
or any other club holdings are valued too
high the matter is disposed of and they
continue in regular membership, with all
the rights and privileges that the rest of us
enjoy.
The intimation that any club or clubs
could be forced out by giving them a poor
schedule is also nonsense. The only man
who has the power to make schedules is
Nick Young, and he would be the last man
on earth to stoop to such tactics. In the
league meeting it takes three -fourths vote
to alter schedule, and, although some of
us were caught mapping last spring, when
the Louisville club was wronged in this
way, 1 assure you 1t will never happen
again. We are willing to acknowledge that
We want to go on with only eight clubs
but in planning to bring this about no one
Will be treated otherwise than fairly and
squarely." All OF which President Soden
readily indorsed.
The league meeting though called for to-
day at noon. will hardly convene until late
in the evening-that Is the precedent of tar
dtness the league solons have set. The cir
cult reduction proposition, 1t is thought
will be the first subject to be disposed Of
The national board of arbitration will
meet Thursday morning to dispose of sew
amendments to the national agreement
J. A. II.