The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-21

league eXterminator and other charges
filed against him by these same biased
critics who appear frightened at the idea
of having their towns enjoying anything
better than bush league ball.
The same men now attempting to force
Hickey from the baseball world know
that when the president of the American
first planned the organization of the new
association he had no intention of locat-
ing this association outside the control
of the national association of minor
leagues. They know that he and his 1ot-
lowers would have remained in line had
the Western association permitted 1oieao
to do as it wanted to do-withdraW and
join the American
The papers opposed to Hickey do not
attempt to conceal their fight against the
president of the American and the asso-
citation itself They do not stop at any
halfway measures in holding Hickey up
as the worst adventurer in the baseDaA
field today With this the situation,
there is no reason for stopping half way
in the defense of this same man.
Hickey, and the conservative critics ana
friends of the game of baseball will admit
it. deserves praise instead of the abuse
now being hurled at him. He has not
made move up to date that deserves
adverse criticism.
Hickey is accused of being destroyer
of leagues. He did not attempt to de-
stroy the Western league. He was VIII
ing to take this little organization in uil-
der the wing of the enlarged American.
He did not wreck the Western asSoc1a-
ton. He did not have to. Men VINO
belonged to that association during the
season just closed know that the season
closed with the league all in. The mag
mates only continued through to the end
of the Western association season to
carry out their agreements. Not, single
town was making money, most of them
were losing money, and every club owner
in that association was praying for the
finish
Western Died Natural Death.
The Western association died at the
close of its season. 1t will, unless con-
ditions are greatly changed, remain dead
during the coming season. Few followers
of the game expect to see the Western
association back in the play and Hickey
is blamed for wrecking this league.
Then comes the charge Of territory
grabber. The critics never stop to note
the situation, but blame the American
president for attempting to push other
leagues out of territory belonging to
them.
How far does this claim go?
Tebeau owns the holdings i'll kansas
City. He knows that it is to his inter
est to improve the grade Of baseball in
his town, and being business man. he
Joined the new association Tebeau was
In the Western league, and withdrew to
JOIN faster company. Can Hickey be
blamed for taking anything from Tebeau?
1t is the same in the other towns
fi1ckey's league has not tried to push
into territory held by men who have in
vested Sood money. Lennon owned the
> holdings in St. Paul and he was taken
over. Hickey did not try to push Lennon
out of the baseball business. Strobel was
the baseball ma gnate in Toledo. He was
not pushed out of his holdings Watkins
was III control at Indianapolis, Bryce at
Columbus and these men are all in the
new association
The only town that can be held I'D to
support the claims of the men fighting
Hickey is Omaha, and Bill Rourke is the
nlagnate in that town. Rourlxe stared
with the American. He jumped back to
the Western after the American had
named Omaha as one of the towns of its
circuit. Rourke can blame himself for
the existing circumstances.
BealI Has No kick.
Minneapolis alone is unaccounted for
Beall. like Rour1e, started in with the
American. He did not continue with the
American, but even in Minneapolis Hickey
cannot be accused of grabbing territory
Beall is through with Minneapolis, the
American has secured his holdings, and
it is more than probable that if Bean
makes a too strong denial of this the.
American association will make public
tie exact position of its president in this
particular case.
Thomas Jefferson Hickey, as he is
styled by papers fighting fer the Whit
field league, has simply been following
in the path blazed first by the National
league and then by Ban Johnson, presi-
dent OF the American league, and today
the real king of the baseball world.
Johnson simply recognized that expan-
sion was good thing for the American
league and with a reckless disregard for
tradition, he pushed up and engaged in
battle with the once terrible National
league
Hickey has simply recognized that there
is room for expansion here in the West
He, like Johnson, is making the most of
the discovery. Why then should Hickey
win the abuse of any Western baseball
writer?