The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-14
Said the National League Must Vote
for Him for President and Ii
Elected Him Last Night.
MIR. FREEDMAN MUST GET OUT
CHARGED WITH BEING a LEAGUE
TRAITOR AND MARRIOTT.
spaIdinS Bitter i'm His ExcOriaticn of
the New YOrker-Brush-Freed
Faction in Revolt.

NEW YORK, Dec. 13.-After four days
of practically an entire absence of official
information as to the inner workings of
the meetings Of the magnates of the Ma
tional Baseball League, at the Fifth-ave-
nue. Hotel, in this city, real sensation has
been sprung. The deadlock over the cleo
ton of president to succeed n. E. Young
has continued All sorts of statements
have been given out, but tonight Albert
G. Spalding threw down the gauntlet. He
announced positively that he would not
withdraw his name as candidate for the
presidency, but that he would force the
magnates TO vote on it. And the vote must
be taken before the magnates adjourn.
Furthermore Mr.. Spalding announced his
position in the following words:
When the vote has been taken when
my election shall be made unanimous, and
when they shall come to me and ask me
TO be their president, if l accept the honor,
my one condition will be that Andrew
freedman must get out Of baseball, abso-
lutely and entirely. He must be wiped off
the baseball map. On his record In base
ball. and I speak only of his baseball
record, openly and publicly charge
Andrew Freedman with being a traitor and
baseball than any other four forces that
ever existed in the history of the game.
will meet Mr.. Freedman on any position he
may take. Ny only stipulation is that the
matter must be fought in the meeting
room of the National League The man
mat loses must expect to get out of base
ball forever"
The magnates were thunderstruck by
the audacity of Spalding's def. but there
was tone of pleasure and exutation over
the prospects of a fight such as has never
been known in the history of baseball 1t
seemed 10 be the general impression that
the Brush-Freedman combination was
beaten. just how Freedman was to be
cropped was not made clear. 1t is said
that new league may be organized and
New York may be dropped from the cir
cult, the Brokolyn club becoming the New
York representative.
LETTERS MADE PUBLIC.
To back up his statement Spalding made
public certain recent correspondence be-
tween the various magnates His CORE
spondence consisted of a circular letter
written by Frank De Hass Robson to the
presidents of the National League clubs.
under date of Feb. /, 1901 dated from
Cleveland. This letter urges the election
of Mr.. Spalding as president In the course
of his letter Mr.. Robson says:
II think the National League should i'm
medlately do something that will at least
appeal 10 some of the baseball public We
must all admit that the affairs of the Ma
lonal League are not looked upon by the
public would like to have them but
we rather appear to be in the BACKGROUND
as compared with the Ban Johnson Ameri-
THE new American League has got this
foothold and has received the sympathy
OF the public and has got the backing of
80 out of 100 per cent. If the newspaper
writer's of to-day. and they have brought
this about within the past two years and
1t has all been done practically by one
man, and that man is Ban Johnson. L
wish we could unanimously agree to tender
the position of president of the National
League to Mr.. A G. Spalding.''
The letter pays tribute to President
Young and requests that each president
express his view of the matter. In con-
clusion Mr.. Robson says: AT any rate,
let us do something that part of the public
will applaud us for doing, and we will soon
regain the foothOld that we are entitled to
have in the national game of professional
baseball
In reply to this letters were received
from A. III. Soden, James A Hart, c. II.
Ebbetts. a. j. Reach and the other presi-
dents. except Brush and Freedman, hearth
ly approving OF the selection Of Mr. Spald-
ing for president and generally agreeing
with Mr.. Robson in his views to the
future of the National League. In addition
to this there was made public a letter from
John II. Brush to Andrew Freedman, in
which Brush outlines the plan for a board
of control TO take the place Of president
SPALDING TO REPORTERS.
Later in the evening a meeting was held
at the hotel to which the newspaper men
were invited and Mr.. Spalding made a fur
Their statement. He said that the only
magnates he had talked to confdentially
since the meeting began were Messrs. Hart
and Soden. Mr.. Spalding said Mr.. Soden
had practically pledged Boston's vote for
him for president. AT the present, meet
ing" said Mr.. Spalding. my name was
ina ion
result Of a deadlock, the result of the cleo
ton coming out of the regular order of
business; L have refused to withdraw my
fight to the end. For the past few DAYS
my name has been played football with by
the magnates of the National League.
They won't kick ii around for four DAYS
more, for the reason that 1 will demand
immediate action. Either III be elected or
L won't
"Wednesday, as an honorary member of
the League, and exercising my preroga-
tive, | attended a session of the League.
L told them that the abrogation of the
national agreement was the most damnable
outrage that was ever, perpetrated in base
oall. L spoke my mind and did not mnce
my words. Action upon my name and an
expression of my standing was what |
wanted. Several of the League magnates
followed with speeches. and Mr.. Freedman
made harmony speech Finally. when 1
the room"
Mr. Spalding denounced the scheme for
a trust in baseball He said the only hope
Tor the National League was a revolution,
and that Freedman, aided by Brush was
responsible for the condition existing to-
day In the National League. Freedman,
said he, must go, but for historys sake
let us give Brush a chance to save him
self"
THE NIGHT SESSION.
While all this had been brewing the mag
mates held their sessions without result.
At the Afternoon session President Freed
man tried TO secure an adjournment to Jan
I, but 1t was voted down.
Rumors of trouble in the meeting soon
reached the corridors OF the hotel soon
after the magnates began their nights
session. The election of officers was taken
Up. Mr.. Spalding and N E. Young were
the nominees and the first ballot stood 10
4. The name of A. G.. Mills was added TO
the list of nominees on the third ballot
The vote was Spalding. 4: Young. 4; Mills
0. The Brooklyn. Pittsburg. PHILADELPHIA
and Chicago clubs voted for Spalding New
York, Cincinnati. St. Louis and Boston
voted for Young.
Many OF the magnates. notably F. A.
Abel. John L. Rogers. A. j. Reach an
Harry Nonderhorst, expressed themselves
as pleased with the action Of Mr. Spalding
No sooner had Mr.. Spaldings words come
10 Mr.. Brush than he announced his in
tention of leaving Immediately for his
home I'm Cincinnati
Mr.. Freedman expressed himself some