Evening journal., 1903-12-02
CONSOLIDATION MATTERS
National and American Baseball Lea-
que Ascin seina Discussed.

The perorn'Hi runcr Of @ combination
OF -the Aatlouai Wd American Leagues /
has risen again. This time DO comes .
from Chicago. A man who has a
latHe interest 300 one of the big I
Lcaeue clubs hut whose name is, of
courao. withheii says TINT consonda- +
ton wiu he an accomplished fact 10y
1906
The situation is thus defined by this
partisan of The merger
Il lnow Go he q fact that during
the recent visit OF President Robert
lelecs. or the ST. Louis Americans. to
the Mound city the Rohisons had srv-
crll conferences with him regardin~
@ consolidation OF their interests ihevc.
io 90 this means consolidation n
other cities With the ice broken in
So. Louis, and with two of the big men
in The National and American respect
,yslE Ststins ,aee he ngIify 4 win rot
he Nnrd matter to arrange Tor the
merging OF clubs in other cities.
"lt would remain 90 be seen how AR.
brush would welcome the advent cr
I3an johnson as head of the consohdat-
od leagues. th1t being part of the
condemnation soheme. and also how
johnson would bury his long-standing
hatrcf for Brush. However stranger
lcdfe'lows have been made in the past
ar1 there is no reason why these two
should not make up. The plan is be-
inc quietly bui pcrsisteutiy agtated
and The year 1905 at the latest viii see
3D. carried out"
This story. IN company with several
others OF similar nature. disreslrds
several important facts.
Obstacles 70 Merger.
The bic leagues now conflict In 1--WE
cities New York. Boston. Chicago.
Philadelphia and ST. Louis. To effect
a consolidation Il would be necessary
20 rcmuncrate those club owners who
would be forced out OF business. This
would involve considerable outlay
for many of the clubs have expensive
plants. some of which, as in the case
OF the Philadelphia National club. ar,
tied up by long-te term leases.
It IS doubtful IL the consent OF John
n. Brush could be obtained. for th
New York president knows that sucl
combination would eventually plac
him at the mercy OF his many cnemie
who would gladly see him forced on
OF baseball
In Boston the National League trl
q
TO "a deal. for thev have heen fought al
most ont Of business by Collins and hi
team. But il is highly Improbable tina
the directors Of the American Loaeu
club would consent 10 exchange abso
Lutte mastery Of the situation FOR a
uncertainty
The situation IN Philadelphia ;
somewhat similar Tho Athletics hav
been a profitable Investment during IN
last two years. and with team tina
can finish anywhere IN the first division
should continue 10 turn ont a goo
yearly profit. If tho teams were TO b
consolidated one costly ground. with al
its improvements. would have 10 b
abandoned. That Ncssrs. Shibe an
Mack would consent TO this sacrihc
is hardly credible.
Possible in ST. Louis.
ST. Louis may oner good field 70
the get-together idea, for both team
have just finished am unprohtable sea
son. But it is probable that when term
OF settlement were under discussio
Dlessrs. Hedges and the Robson
would ind matters far from plain sail
ing.
Consolidation stin looks TO he "a
away, and it is to be hoped. for IN
good OF the game. that It Is. Ther
IS room for two leagues. The comm
Of the American League gave N
greatest of outdoor games its mo.
notable boom i'm years. and interest wa
revived where before IT had been deal
Baseball politics had its inning. la.
year the players. held public attentio
undivided. It Is to be hoped that the
will be permitted to do so next yea
Nothing worse could happen for base
ball than 10 kill the two-league rivaii
and bring into public attention the sol
did personality and motives of q
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