The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-15
LEAGUE MEETING TODAY
MoNTGoMERY's CHANGES FOR BASEBALL TEAM ARE GOOD.
It is Likely That Little Rock Will Be Dropped and the Franchise Put in Here for Next
 Season.

Today will decide the question of Mont
 gomery's future in baseball for the sea-
 son of 1902.
 Tn the city of Chattanooga this morn ing will be held meeting of the South
 ern League at which the personnel of
 the cities composing the circuit will be l decided on.
 A big fight has been made against the
 admission of Montgomery into the League by certain people, and whether that fight will result In anything at the meeting today remains to be seen. Last years circuit was composed Of New Orleans, Selma, Birmingham. Nash Vile. Memphis, Little Rock, Chattanooga and Shreveport. Selma has been dropped and the franchise taken to Atlanta. Ed Peter, who had the Selma franchise, of course hts Atlanta, and Ed Pabst will handle the team.
 Shre veporr has also been dropped for the coming season-two towns about which pr -licti Dns of failure were made last season. A fight is being made now on Little Rock. that town being consid- cred too far out of the way. Proposi- tons have been made to take In Knox vile. Tenn. in place of Little Rock, and have been launched.
 The city of Knoxville is about the size
 of Montgomery and Chattanooga. out owing to the fact that there Is a large Northern clement there. good bit of sporting wealth floats about. Knoxville is not so very far from Chattanooga, but it looks on the face of 1t that taking that town m would make the circuit pretty cumbersome.
 Another phase of the situation will be a probable effort at the meeting today to have Mobile included in the circuit.
 A story came to The Advertiser the other day that five signatures had been secured towards dropping Little ROCK. Alb Powell of New Orleans, so the story
 fn of Little Rock unless Mobile was in. cluded in the circuit. In the event or this latter contingency, both Knoxville and Little Rock would be left out of the question and the League would be composed of circuit admlrapie anu
 The League would the, then bs ss. composed | Birmingham, Atlanta, Chattanooga. Nashville and Memphis.
 As will be seen the compactness of | this circuit would do away with long railroad jumps, and from Memphis a | team could drop down by easy stages all | the way to New Orleans and vice versa. | The fight seems to have narrowed doWn | to Little Rock, Knoxville and Montgom-
 ery-the chances are greatly in favor oi | Little Rock and Montgomery, though
 Mobile in place of Little Rock would
 stop a big leak in travelling expenses | during the coming season - As to Montgomery chances to become | a member of the League they are bright | In the extreme. It looks like certainty | that this city will be voted a franchise today, but there is many slip 'twixt the cup and the lip and of course noth | ing definite can be known until after | the meeting.
 A few Weeks ago when Charlie Frank | of MempbR and Newt Fisher of Nash vile, representing the circuit committee. were here, l hao a long talk with them
 at the Exchange Hotel Sng comnrom, cn9y oru sing @ | one way or the other, but certain tnlngs they let drop proved that they were
 very much impressed with Montgomery baseball chances for the coming season. If the Montgomery franchise Is gwen today, NJ. W. Walker, prominent bus- mess man of Selma and former Mont gomerian. will get It. ShoWing tne ! Ial.h gomery, he will back the team with his
 own capital, though of course some local money will be used.
 It is not known just what the street railway people will do though Manager Scott of the line says they will do what is right. MT. Peter left Selma last night for Chattanooga and in additlon to reP- | gomery end, Mir. Walker not being able | to go to Chattanooga. Every ball fan in Montgomery will watch with anxiety for news from that meeting and it is to be devoutly hoped
 that after six years out of the game there will be league baseball in Mont gOmery during the 1902 season.
 There is a probability that Montgom- cry will be treated to some great harness
 races next fall MT. Billings, the rich Chicago man who, with some other Wes- tern millionaires, built the famous trot- ting track at Memphis. has scheme fo: a new circuit He wants the track at
 Nashville and is said to be figuring on one at Dallas. Texas. Montgomery would break the long jump from Nashville to New Orleans and Dallasv-and 1t Is not impossible that this city will be included in the circuit Several of the Gentle mans Driving Club members have been in correspondence with MT. Billings and
 the chances are that the fast track at Riverside will be filled with some of the most famous harness horses in the world
 The Cresceus event is still pending, though MT, Ketchum has not decided on anything. Squire Brown.