The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-06-21
CHANCES
LOOK BRIGHT
President Lucas Talks on North
west Baseball Outlook.
PORTLAND is A POOR TOWN.
RUMoR SAYS SALT LAKE WILL
GET THEIR FRANCHISE.

There has been nothing new developed
in the proposition to take in Salt Lake
and Ogden in the Pacific Northwest cir
cult the past week beyond the fact that
there appears to be something doing in
that line. The press of the northwest is
full of statements that such viii be the
case. and as often as story to that eff
feet is printed it is readily denied in
other quarters. The san Francisco Bull
letin prints long story with comments
from President Lucas as follows:
There will be meeting Of the Pacific
National league at Tacoma between the
Z7th and the 18th of this month. President
Lucas has announced this. but he says he
y unpfepared to St&te at present what
the meeting IS called for. That it Will
De an important session no one seems to
question: Persistent rumOrs of certain
cIuDs being dropped and others being SUBJ
SIltuTed force the belief that the map Of
the league Will be changed but Just what
VIII be done is not probably decided upon
now and Will not be until the meeting
Is held. When President Lucas was in
reviewed at Tacoma Monday anent the
Salt Lake City report, he denied that such
changes as were outlined in that dis
patch were being contemplated, but he
admitted that matters of great cOnse-
quenee would be brought before the next
meeting OF the league. Lucas said:
There is no reason why there should
be such a circuit and no one connected
with the Pacific National league has any
lAOuElAl VI SuE1 a ECueLLle as LEilS. TO my
knowledge. Ogden is a small town and
would not be likely to support a team OF
the caliber demanded, which is the chief
reason why Salt Lake and Ogden were
not both admitted at TIE Spokane meet
ing year or so ago.
Salt Lake First-class Ball Town.
Salt Lake City is a first-class bail
town and several clUbs would Ike to see
it in our league, In which it has always
desired franchise But to make up
circuit of kind fnHip2 cd in that Utah
dispatch would not do at all. and the
story is guesswOrk on the part of who
ever wrote it.
we have plans in view to enable us to
give the opposition SITTER fight. and
which we are working on, that may re-
suit in Developments of Importance in the
near future. But most assuredly they are
not along the lines indicated in that story
I am not at liberty to divulge the plans
being considered at this time. Our aim
is to intrench ourselves still more firmly
in our position
In the north the sentiment is in favor
of abandoning Portland to the invading
enemy. The claim is now set up that this
city is g poor baseball center, and what
is the use of wasting any more money on
it. Every National club that has gone
there this year has played to empty
benches, and none wishes to return 1t IS
pretty well understood that Jack Grim
team has no home backing. the salaries
being paid by the league So if Portland
is left behind, the money expended on
Grim's team might be put TO better use
Portland will be dropped or not will be
decided one way or the other at the Ia
coma meeting
Another Story From Tacoma.
Another story from the Tacoma Ledger,
which stands very close to President Luz
cas-, has the following to say:
Reliable information is to the effect that
Salt Lake City has by no means de-
SPARED of obtaining franchise in the Pa
cific National league For the past year
or more patrons of baseball in that city
have been urging. to the best of their
ability. that they be granted a franchise
Even when the Pacific Northwest league
passed out of existence. to be succeeded
by the Pacific National league, embrac-
ing the two leading California cities. SAT-
Lake did not give up hope, but urged tnat
IT be given the Portland franchise and
that city dropped from the league. There
are people in Tacoma who arc stu heart-
ily in favor of Salt Lake. and, If the
writer is correctly informed, stand retoy
To- urge the transfer Of the Portland fran
chise. team and all to that city
When Marshall turned traitor last win
ter and deserted, bag and baggage, 70
the Harris outlaws, Salt Lake promptly
came to the front with it's forfeit guar
antee and urged that 1t be given the iran
chise and the oregon town be abandoned,
so far as organized baseball was con-
cerned- The league magnates could not
see It that way however, ana PROBABLY
they take the same view OF the case
Others who are not magnates. but never
theless, have money invested, say they
preferable than Portland, even were that
city without opposition. A resident of
Salt Lake City writes Of the situation
there:
Here we are over in Utah. a first-class
baseball town, as good as any in the Pa
cific National league circuit, patronizlnS
50-cent ball. with ground ready, centrally
located and with forfeit money and cap
ital ready and visiting teams assured Of
a profit when they come here. We are
right on your road to and from Califor-
MIA, for it is just as feasible to go via this
city as via Portland. a town that always
was a gutter in baseball. instead OF COM
ing here and making money Probably
the Pacific league knows its business
best, but il seems as though we ought 70
at least be given a hearing before the
league board of directors. The best in
formation we can get is that the league
is losing money in Portland, and we can
put in a fast team here and make it pay
for ourselves and the visiting CLUBS
ALSO.
These and other stories make it hard
for one to predict just what will be done
It is safe to say. however, that nothing
further will be heard of the movement
until the meeting called for the latter
part of this month at Tacoma. To those
who have watched the matter, however,
il is safe to say that something OF inter-
So, oil ut hat