The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-24
BRIGHT FOR BASEBALL.
First Payment for League
Franchise Is Made.

At meeting at the Elks' lodge last
night, Topeka took out its membership
in the Missouri Valley league. A lot of
active work will yet have to be done
before the thing is clinched but she
has crossed the RubicOn at which she
has been wavering for months. 1t is
still all before the town to make good
in the undertaking. So far results have
been encouraging for the men who have
assembling support for the proposed
professional ball team. At the Ellks'
meeting sos was subscribed for the
first payment on the guarantee that is
deposited with the league officials to
assure the other teams that Topeka
will carry out its schedule of games.
Outside of that SS5 was gathered up
Tuesday and Wednesday and will be
turned into the guarantee fund.- By
January Is $500 must be made up and
by the opening of the season in May
the organization must have $500 or
thereabouts more in it's treasury in Or
der to dress it's players and be able to
pay some of their salaries. 1t is to get
the new association on its feet that a
committee consisting of T. L. Sheard,
w. L. Taylor and A. G. Goodwin was
appointed last night.
President D. NJ. Shively, who had be-
gun to consider Topeka as rather a
hopeless case, was considerably pleased
at the turn taken in the condition of
baseball support. He spoke encourag-
ingly of the prospect for a successful
season under judicious management.
He advised that the further work of
organization be done without delay
and that care be exercised not to allow
the interest in baseball matters to sub
side between now and the beginning of
the season. He personally does not
take any hand in the organization of
the team. 1t is with the business of
the league that he is concerned. But
it is a good deal owing to his patience
in waiting for the baseball fever in
Topeka to come to a crisis that Topeka
now has her membership. The league
wanted Topeka on account of the size
of the town and good location and has
held off from coming to conclusions
with Chanute and Parsons which have
been f1ourishing their money and de-
handing admission for weeks.
During the next week mass meet
ing will be held for the formation of a
stock company under which the base
ball business can be managed. from
the sale of stock in this company and
from the advance sale of baseball
tickets money will be raised to put the
team in the field. The company VIII
not be organized with less than $l,OOo
stock, an amount that can be easily
disposed of in small shares, while sew
eral hundred dollars worth of tickets
will be taken up by friends of baseball
and the money paid in before the open
ing of the season. Care will be taken
turers who worked up teams here and
departed with the funds without wait
ing to see how the team Jared through
the season have discouraged baseball
supporters in the past to such a degree
that until within the past few days
it has looked as though the game was
a dead institution in Topeka.
There will be sixty-three games of
baseball played in Topeka during the
season, which will run about five
months. Besides these Topeka will play
an equal number away from home. Last
night President Shively had a talk with
Treasurer F. G. Kelly of the Topeka
railway company about the park in
The result of the conversation has not
been made public beyond that an I'M
derstanding has been reached about it,
There are several possible locations for
it, at the terminal of either the North
Topeka, the Oakland, or Lowman Hill
street car lines or at the southeast edge
Of town on the Vinewood line The park
will be outside the city limits. The other
towns in the Missouri Valley league are
Springfield, Joplin, Sedalia and Nevada
Mo, and Fort Scott, lola and Leaven-
worth.
Last nights meeting, while partici-
meeting. The subject was placed be-
fore the members at the time of adj
journment and an informal discussion
of baseball took place. Most of the
members had "reminiscences to tell while
the subscription paper was being passed
around. Most of them had assisted in
the Substituting of other teams which
had fizzled out but all were ready to try
it again.