The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-06
WHAT THE REPORTSHOWS
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
NATIONAL BALL LEAGUE.
1t Is Alleged to Disclose that Messrs.
Brush, Freedman and Robson
N "a Syndicate.

CHICAGO. Feb. 5.-The Inter Ocean to-
morrow will say: Andrew Freedman,
John T. Brush and Frank De Haas Robi-
son did make repeated and strenuous efforts
to force their trust scheme on their fellow
magnates at the last annual meeting of the
National League. Furthermore, they threat
ened to break away from the League unless
it was recognized on their own lines. Mr..
Young has finally obeyed the instructions
of the club owners and issued the official
~stenographic report of what really did hap
pen at that tumultuous meeting in New
York. 1t reveals the fact that Freedman,
Brush and Robson had been figuring on
transferring the League into a trust for at
least two years. Robison's plan was to cap
italize the League for 81, OOO, and he tried
to show the New York magnate how the
League, under the. new conditions, would
yield at least Z per cent. in annual profits
on its huge capitalization. Freedman, ac-
cording to his own statements, did not take
kindly to the plan at first, and told Robson
that he was afraid that the trust plan
would prove unpopular with both press and
public. But later on he FreedmanJ
changed his mind and became an earnest
champion of the scheme. the details Of
WHICH were marked OUT DN JOnn L. Brush.
Barney Dreyfuss refused to sign, and told
Brush at the time that the Pittsburg club
would never enter into such a deal.
After all these interesting facts had
been brought out at the meeting the de-
bate waxed warm. and Freedman, Brush
and Robson almost lost their temperS.
Finding that the men representing the
Chicago, Brooklyn, Pittsburg and Phila-
delphia clubs refused to consider the
scheme they began to make threats. Freed
mar said that unless the League was re-
organized on a business basis he would
take the New York club out OF the circuit.
Robson said st. Louis would quit, and
Brush tried to make ii plain that Cincinnati
would follow suit. After a lengthy wrangle
In which Freedman accused Spalding of
giving out the details OF the trust scheme,
thereby enabling one newspaper man to
make SIC, the magnates finally settled
down to the task of electing a president.
"A. G.. Spalding was the only candidate
nominated. On the first ballot Chicago,
Brooklyn, Philadelphia and PittsbuTg voted
for Spalding, while Freedman, Brush, Robi-
son and Soden, representing the other four
clubs, simply deposited slips of paper on
which was written the word mo into
the hat. AS soon as the tellers announced
the result OF the vote Ebbitts, Of Brooklyn,
rose TO a point of order and moved that
inasmuch as Spalding was the only candi-
date and had received all four votes that
he be declared elected. Nick Young de-
clared Ebbitts out of order.
Then the Freedman combine urged that
the nominations be reopened. After a hot
debate this was done. Rogers started the
trouble by nominating SOden, of Boston,
who declined the honor. Rogers then NOM
mated A. h. Mills. Then Freedman pre-
scented Nick Young's name and the nOmi-
nations were again closed. The next bal
lot stood: Spalding 4, Young 4. Mills's
name was then dropped.
After several ballots had been taken the
F~reedmanites made repeated efforts to ad-
journ the meeting until Jan. l, but Spald-
ing's four champions refused TO adjourn
until a president had been elected. Freed
man and his fnll0VVaFC finally loft tho
without asking the permission of the pre-
siding officer, and after Young had made a
vain plea that the meeting should be ad-
journed on account of a lack of a quorum
he, too, left the room. Rogers took the
chair, another ballot was taken and Spald-
ing declared elected"