The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-04
ROURkEE'S BUSY DAY
SMASH NEW BASEBALL
ASSOCIATION
NEW PROMOTERS DON'T WORRY
Hickey, Lennon ct Al. Not Afraid Of
Action Western League May
Take at Meeting
Today.

Today the magnates of the Western
league Of 1901 meet at ST. Joseph, and, If
William Rourke, president of the Omaha
club, is to be believed, these aforesaid
magnates, or a party of them, will kick
into Smithereens the American associa-
ton dream that Thomas Jefferson Hick-
ey, George Lennon, A. b. Beall, George
Teheau and several others have been en-
joying.
Rourke's position at this period of the
game appears a peculiar one. Last week
the Omaha man appeared in Chicago,
with the other men who formed the
American association, and, according to
excellent authority, Rourke, with the
other men, deposited $500 forfeit to go
through the season as a member of the
new association. Now Rourke is back
in Omaha, and to the newspapers there
he has announced that he wants the old
Western league te be continued, and
that he, with Van Brunt, Burns and
others, intends to fight the new associa-
ton organized by Hickey, Lennon and
Tebeau.
O'Rourle is Cautious.
The natural suppositon is that Rourke
is playing the cautious boy in this little
baseball war, if it may be styled war.
The Omaha magnate was not at all anx-
ious to push Omaha into a stronger cir
cult. Omaha fan5tics turn out to see
Western league ball. and wise magnate
would not care to increase his yearly ex-
pense TO secure the money that will be
his with a Western league outfit.
Rourke vans to continue in the base
ball business. He could not anticipate
the future of the old Western league
when the new association talk started, so
he went in with the promoters of the
new circuit. This move assured the
Omaha man a landing place, no matter
what happened, but he was still of the
opinion thar he could make good money
with cheaper hall and he turned to the
men who Were pushed into & second
class, minor league by the birth of the
new association.
All this is Rourke's supposed position,
end now the question is will the play
come out right for William Rourke? AT
the present writing, just before the meet
ing of the old Western league magnates.
Rourke looks the loser.
The new association was not oVeranX-
ieus to take Omaha into the new organ1-
cation, and, even if Omaha was to go in,
there were several other Omaha business
men waiting to take Rourke's place in
the Pat Grove village baseball world.
Rourke was taken into the new organf-
cation mainly because Hickey, Lennon,
Tebeau and Eeall wanted TO take care
OF as many of the old associates as
in because his Vote might be needed
when The magnates OF the old Westervt
nee to 1t te II oil the question of dis
handing.
l.5.urke may have figured out this last
supposition himself, and mis- :Tg Tres may
have demonstrated to him where he held
the situation in his hand. 1t is now evl-
dent that if Rourke figured thusly he
made a serious mistake, and a mistake
that may land him and his Omaha fran
chise where he insists he desires to be-
in the Western league, with Colorado
Springs, Denver, Des Moines, Lincoln
and the other smaller towns.
Have Enough Votes.
At the meeting today Rourke will dis
cover, if he attempts to desert the new
association, that he does not hold the
balance of power The Western league
promoters of the new association appear
to have enough votes to control the situa-
ton. Tebeau will vote for Kansas City,
and as the press dispatches announce
that Packard has turned over the Denver
franchise to the Kansas City man. Te-
beau will also vote for Denver Beall,
OF Minneapolis, appears to be with the
new association, and he will vote for
that town. George Lemons vote will
make the total four and Hickey will
thus have the vote to decide things
1HeIe is no question as 10 which way
the league president viii cast his ballot.
But even admitting that Rourke and
his friends control the meeting, it is i'm
possible to see where Rourke will be
able to stop the new association and save
the $500 that he must forfeit if he does
not go through the season in the new
league. Lennon Tebeau, Beall and other
magnates of the old Western, cannot be
stopped if they desire to withdraw from
the old league The business of the
league has all been closed up. mere
are no deposits or forfeits up, and if
the magnates looking for advanced base
hall, desire to leave the old league, there
is nothing apparent in their way to pre-
vent them.
George E. Lennon, president of the st.