The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-12-16
Agreement Reached at Confer enca Last Night and All
 is Now Peace CHAT TTANOOGA WILL BE
 DROPPED FROM LEAGUE
Shreveport Succeeds In Retaining Her Place By Giving the Management to Bobby Gilks, Who Held
 Savannah Franchise.

N party of prominent men from three states interested in the sport of baseball got together at the Hillman hotel last night and formed an agree ment that is believed to be sufficiently strong to float the league through anoth- CT season of prosperity.
 The board of directors will meet in the parlors of the Florence hotel this morn ing at g o'clock and beyond peradven- ture the agreement will be ratified and plans for the years sport mapped out.
 While the settlement is not without bitter tlnge, men prominent in the af- fairs of life say it is the best that could be done and in time the edges of dis cord will wear away and all will be peace
 At times it looked as if the war was on, but the calm judgment of Judge Kavanaugh, James Palmer Caruthers Ewing and Senator Foster of Louisiana prevailed and the clouds which hac been lowering over the little knots of sports men all day disappeared.
 Shreveport Happy.
 The happest men in Birmingham last night were the representatives of Shreve- port and their victory was well earned. Armed with pluck, money and injunc- tions they were prepared to resist the ef- fort to throw them out of the organiza- tion and so liberal were their propos!- | argument was offered that Shreveport was not paying city in the point of att tendance and Senator Foster promptly met this with an offer to double the daily guarantee, making it slOO instead of $50. Another difficulty was that in the Mem phis agreement Savannah was to be taken in with Boby Giks as manager. After considerable discussion the prob- lem was solved and GlllSs was given the management of the Shreveport team for two years at handsome salary It was then decided to drop Chattanooga and substitute MoMntgomery, the new league club being given -Ae franchise. The Chattanooga representatives were bitterly disappointed over the outcome of the conference and expressed themselves as being hurt at the treatment received by the men whom they had previously befriended.
 Charlie Frank, promoter of the new league, refused to make statement last night, but his friends say he was fight ing for principle and is satisfied to have carried his point as far as he did. He will be placed in good standing with the na- tional board and his club reinstated in | the league. The men who opposed Frank pay him a tribute by saying that he has fought open and above board and of him they have no complaint to make.
 Many Prominent Men.
 remarkable feature of the baseball gathering is the number of prominent men taking part. President Kavanaugh Is judge of one of the courts in Little Rock, and, 1t is said, will probably be nomi- mated for governor of Arkansas at the next democratic convention. James Pal mer is one of the wealthiest business men of Nashville and is we'll known in public affairs. James A. Gray Is prominent at torney of Little Rock, while J. H. Mar tin is one of the most prominent men in that city. Caruthers Ewing is a success
 
 brightest young men In Tennessee. w. H. Ragland. Col. Barry Holt and Raphael semmes are ell well known in Alabama. being interested in the street railway companies of Montgomery.
 The First Session. The first session of the board of direc- tors after several attempts was called to order in the Florence hotel yesterday afternoon at o'clock. but as trouble was brewing, an immediate adjournment was taken.
 As soon as President Kavanaugh had called the meeting to order all represen- tatives of cities which held new fran chises in either the old or the new league were invited to leave the room and the board immediately went into executive session. President Kavanaugh then di- rected that the roll be called. and Mem phis was the only city which failed to answer E. T. Peter of Atlanta moved an adjournment until o'clock tomorrow morning and the aye vote was unanimous. A large crowd of newspaper men, law yers, deputy sheriffs and others drawn by curiosity were waiting the outside, and the sudden turn of affairs came as a great surprise. No explanation was given but 1t is understood the postponement was brought about to give the Shreveport and Chattanooga contingents chance to ! patch up their fight with the league. An other reason given is that 1t was known that two deputy sheriffs were on the out side waiting to serve injunctions on the board the moment an attempt was made to drop Shreveport from the league.
 There are about forty men fin attend ance upon the meeting. including law (Conffnued oy, Sarond Dsael