The Washington times., 1903-09-01
MAY DECLARE WAR ON
THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minor League Magnates Re-
.ject New Agreement.
WILL LIKELY GO 1T ALONE
AT Yesterdays Meeting in New York
Little Fellows" Hold Out for
Representation on Board.

The rejection by the minor baseball
leagues of the new agreement virtually
means a declaration of war upon the
American League.
This means that the minor leagues will
go 1t alone and place every obstacle
they can in the path of the new major
organization. President Harry Pulliam,
of the National League. is non-commitaI
upon the question. but incidentally re-
marked that he was not surprised that
the minor leagues had rejected the
agreement.
AT the meeting held at the Victoria
Hotel, in New York, yesterday, the fol-
lowing were present:
t. j. Hickey. of the American Asso-
citation; NJ H. Sexton. of the Western
League; w. NJ. Kavanaugh, of the South
ern League; P. T. Powers, of the East
ern League; z. c. Packard, of the West
ern League: James J. O'Rourke, Thomas
L. Riley and c. ]. Danaher, of the Con
necticut State League; T. H. Murnane.
OF the New England League: W. H
Reck, of the Three rs" League; W. W.
Pierce and T. ]. O'Brien. Of the Buffalo
club; Edward HanIon, of the Baltimore
club; A. II. Howe, jr.. of the former
Worcester club: P H. Hurley and ]. T.
Nevins. of the Jersey City club; M. B.
Puder and W. W. Burnham, of the
Newark IN j. club; Jesse Applegate.
of the Toronto club: George NJ.
Kuntzsch, OF the Syracuse club, and ].
H. Farrell. Of Auburn. the secretary of
the association.
Bone of Contention.
The purpose of the meeting was to dis
cuss and frame an answer 10 the big
leagues concerning the position the
small leagues will take regarding the
national agreement the National Asso-
citation has been asked 70 sign. The
bone of contention is a membership on
the national board. That board now con-
sists of President Pulliam. of the Ma
uonal League; President Johnson. of the
American League. and August Herr
mann. the owner OF the Cinsinnatf Ma
tional Club. The minor leagues claim
they are the bone and sinew OF baseball
have larger following all over the
country than the two major leagues. ard
therefore should be represented on the
national board
The other articles of agreement that |
do not suit the minor leagues are the |
drafting law and the method of paying |
for players drafted. Under the new |
agreement the major leagues have from I
August Is until October IS to select /
their players. Under the oil agreement |
they had but one month. Under the new /
agreement the players are 10 be pail |
for in three equal miscellaneous, while |
under the old agreement the full pur-
chase price was paid Town.
FarrePs Statement
After the meeting Secretary Farrell |
gave out the following statement.
THE meeting unanimously decided |
that 1t could not subscribe to the agree
ment presented at Buffalo, and the
National Association committee was au.
thorized to present the Buffalo agree
ment in amended form 20 the Buffalo
committee
"A resolution was adopted that II was
the sense of the members of the Ma
tional Association present that we adj
here to the terms OF the Lucas resolu-
Jion. unanimously adopted at the an 1
nual meeting of the association held
last October"
Johnson 0bdurate.
The Lucas resolution provided that in
the event OF a joint invitation being ex-
tended TO the National Association to
confer with the board Of directors of
the National and American Leagues in +,
the interest Of a tripartite agreement
the national board of the National As
sociation should preserve TO the Ma
tional Association its present form o.
government and its individual orgauiza-
tion supreme and intact, and 1t was
also resolved that the instructions were
mandatory and. compulsory.
What the amended form of agreement
the National Association would present
10 the Buffalo commission will be Mr.
Farrell refused to say. II is not thought
that Ban Johnson, president of the
American League. Will hear OF any other
form of agreement than that formulated
at the Buffalo meeting