Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-19
BASE BALL.
Reports From Both Sides of National
 Len gne Battle.

II. confab in q day or two to decide what policy to pursue and upon what terms to accept the expected surrender of the Spalding four But. the Freed manites may be doomed to dlsap- pointment after all, and there may be a smashup that will bring about re- suits entirely i'll line with the plans of Spalding. Those who say they en- joy the confidence of Freedman and his friends declared yesterday with marked emphasis that the New York club would dictate terms upon which the league could get together and ii these terms were not received with fa- yer all sorts of direful things would befall the Spalding adherents. Un- less the Spalding clubs go back on cast-iron agreement entered into at the recent Pittsburg conference, however. the New York club may find itself once again baked and compelled to make good it's threats or eat crow in large quantities.
 According to one of the Spalding followers, and he does not live far away from Philadelphia, the Brooklyn, Pittsburg, Chicago and Philadelphia clubs have solemnly agreed to vote down every proposition that comes from the Freedman-Brush clique ex- cept q playing schedule. In other words they have bound themselves together for self-protection and say that they mean business The con- stant threats from the Freedmanites and the talk about closing up the Tolo grounds have only acted as a spur upon the Spalding four and they will greatly surprise the baseball public if they do not defy the opposition to do it's worst. If the Polo grounds are closed, as a result of the coming con- ference because the Spalding clubs stand firm, the argument will be that Freedman is out of the league and that Spalding will win the long fight on this line. In order to protect his friends, Soden, Brush and Robison, the New York magnate, it is believed, will be dissuaded from radical action, and will admit that the Spalding fac- tion is too strongly intrenched to be dislodged by a mere bluff. It can be seen, therefore, that if the Spalding clubs live up to their pledges and re- fuse to bite the dust, Freedman will be forced either to accede to the de- mands of his friends to go ahead and play ball or throw them over. From California Spalding sends word that he is satisfied with the situation and that everything is working according to his ideas.
 President Soden of the Boston Ma tionals says he is willing to take the initiative to bring about a truce ill the baseball war. in order that schedule may be arranged for the season now at hand. He is prepared to remain inactive for q week, but in case an- other peacemaker is not found he will then suggest to Nick Young the propri- ety of inviting the eight National league clubs to come together and consider plans for truce. PIHsi- dent Soden takes occasion to state that the so-called trust scheme is dead and buried. He said:
 ssNo attempt will be made to revive the plan proposed of pooling the re- ceipts, which was the trust feature of the plan' He added that the Bos- ton club was against the plan from the first and would be again.
 Says the Chicago Inter-Ocean: "AIl that Ban Johnson will ask of his rival will be club in New York and d new national agreement of Johnson's own making. There will be lot of quib- bling, but ill the end the American league will gain point''
 Jack Dunn and Captain Robinson of the Baltimore club both deny that the New York team has signed the Oriole utility man. Fogel has made several trips to Baltimore to seeSDunn and has made tempting offers, but nothing final is likely to be done until Manager Me Graw's return
 Long Joln' Wiley was rendered q contract calling for S20O per month by the Buffalo club of the Eastern league. Wiley joined the Buffalo club at the close of the New England league season and was claimed by that club.
 arbitration ruled that the player was the property of the Portland club
 Manager Shettsline of. the Philadel- phia National league club announced yesterday that he had signed Second Baseman Pete Childs, who played last year with the St Louis and Chicago teams. It is rumored that one or more of the Phillies who have signed to play with American league clubs this year will jump back before the championship season opens.
 From Chicago comes the news that Catcher Jim McGuire has deserted the Brooklyn club and signed contract to play with the Detroit club of the American league. Mcclure signed with Brooklyn at the end of last season. but, the story goes, he now claims the Brooklyn management has not met certain conditions of the contract and that therefore he is justified in jump ing to Detroit.
 Manager Roger Connor of the Spring. field team has corralled about all he needs of the Bristol team, if the follow ing list of signed players is true, and Roger says it is. He has the following on his list as signed and sealed and ready for deliverance: F. s. G. Me Lean, pitcher: William B. Clements. pitcher; George Bush, pitcher; P. H. Bowler pitcher: George F. Butcher, pitcher; Joseph Connor. catcher: Frank Beaumont. catcher and outfielder; Pat rick F. O'Connor. catcher and outfield- CT; Arthur Anderson, catcher; Roger Connor first base; Tom Owens, second base; Tom Francis. third base: Kid Berry, shortstop: Clyde Endslow. in- fielder; Edward J. Boyle. shortstop: Charles Kennedy, centerfelder: John w. Fillman, outfelder; Bert Dewes, outfielder.
 Not much of anything doing in base T,1f .sx. 4I11 rf- H1x~