The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-26
SECRET As THE GRAVE
MATES MEET IN CLEVELAND
AND CONFER
ALL TOOK ASSUMED NAMES

Denied Their Identity When Cor
rallied by Newspaper Reporters
Probable Results of Mysterious
Gathering OutIined-There May
~ BE Ten Clubs in the Circuit for
~ Next Season.
CLEVELAND, o., Jan, 25.-The meeting
of the National baseball magnates, which
has been in session here for two or three
days past, and Of which up to today
the newspaper reporters were unable to
obtain any definite information, came to
an end this afternoon, and all but Messrs.
Brush and Hart left for their homes
While the representatives of the various
clubs declined to give out the least in
formation up to the time of their depar-
ture, it can be stated, on the best of au-
thority, that as result Of the meeting
Cleveland and Louisville will drop from
the National league. 1t is also reasonably
sure that Baltimore and Washington will
not be in that organization when the
coming season is opened. Indeed, so far
as Washington is concerned, the matter
is already practically settled But there
is hitch on the Baltimore proposition
upon which the circuit people and the rep
resentatives. of the latter club failed to
reach an agreement However Messrs.
Hanlon, Abel, Soden and Ebbitt went
East together on the same train this aft
ernoon, and it is intimated that they may
be able to reach a satisfactory solution
on the Baltimore matter before they ar
rive home
In case that no settlement is made in
regard to Baltimore, then it is probable
that the National league will consist of
ten clubs.
Cleveland will undoubtedly be in the
American league, although no papers
have been signed to that effect as yet.
President Ban Johnson, of the latter or
ganization, has made proposition which
will in all probability be accepted. The
same is true of Louisville An offer has
been made for that club by the American
league, which is now under consid-
GRAFTON, with indications that the deal will
soon be closed.
President Johnson, of the American
league, said he would put the best club
in Cleveland that money could buy He
also said that he was still negotiating
for a club in Chicago, and under certain
conditions would have club in that city.
The National league magnates took
every precautfon to keep their presence
in town a Seeret.r Each of them register
ed at the Hollenden under a fictitious
name and in most cases actually denied
their own identity when seen by news
paper men. -- j. @EaN
MAGNATES FAILED TO AGREE
PHILADELPHIA, Jan 25-John 1.
Rogers, Of the Philadelphia Baseball
club, arrived home from Cleveland to-
night, where he attended the meeting Of
the circuit committee of the national
league. While the circuit was not fully
decided, it was reasonably certain, Col.
Rogers said that the Louisville and
Cleveland clubs would be dropped from
the circuit. The owners of the BaltI~
more and Washington clubs want Il
price, he said, that the national league
will not consider.
Rather than buy out the clubs at
figures which we could not get back, It
would be better to continue with ten
clubs till the end Of the contract. and
then get rid of the Baltimore and Wash
ington clubs for nothing
Regarding the story from the East that
each club would be assessed 10 per cent
of it's receipts for the purpose of pur,
the percentage was too high. He
thought 5 per cent would be nearer the
figure.
Col. Rogers, in answer to further ques-
tioning, said the league does not intend
to buy the players of these clubs but
only the franchises and leases. He said
he understands the American league IS
trying to locate clubs in both Cleve-
land and Louisville, and that capitalists
of these cities have been sounded by
magnates of the American league