The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-10
LENNON READY
TO FIGHT LEAGUE
Will Not Permit the Trans
fer of His Baseball
Team

| be transferred to Chicago or to any
other town selected by the circuit COM
mittee of the American association un-
| til the courts decide that the ten-year
agreement signed by all the club own
erns of the association, does not pro-
| tect the interests of George E. Lennon.
President Lennon, owner of the ST.
| Paul baseball team, returned from Chi
cagO yesterday morning full OF light
and ready to give the other American
| association magnates who may be
searching trouble a strenuous sprint
for the winning end. Lennon is now
| determined to hold the baseball team
| in st. Paul and the franchise will be
| transferred only when the courts de-
| eide that the team must go and not be-
fore.
This determination of the local club
| owner compelIs a review of the entire
| sQuabble. At the close of the 1902
American association season number
of club owners began comparing the
| seasons gate reports of the different
| towns and discovered that st. Paul
| tagged the circuit. The magnateS had
| been complaining all season Of the poor
| attendance encountered in this town
and began to agitate the transfer Of
the Saints.
| At one of the conferences held i'm
! mediately after the organization of the
new league the magnates had discussed
towns and during this discussion Presi-
| dent Lennon and the others agreed to
| make no fight against the transfer Of
| their franchises if their towns ever
| proved improbable to the association.
Transfer Was Demanded.
When the season closed and the low
| standing Of the Lexington park gate
| was discovered this agreement was re-
called and President Lennon was asked
| to transfer his franchise to Chicago.
He refused and the magnates compro-
missed by insisting upon a downtown
! ball park. President Lennon agreed to
this compromise.
He called upon the citizens of the
| city for their support and made the
j fight for the downtown park. The city
council refused to grant him permits
sion to build a frame structure within
the fire limits.
With the downtown park hope killed
by the council President Hickey went
! ahead in Chicago and secured men who
| were ready to take the st. Paul fran
chise off the local mans hands. Len
! non was offered a chance to go with the
team to the new town, but refused to
| interest himself in any baseball venture
outside of st. Paul.
Hickey worked hard and secured finan-
| cial backing and site in Chicago. The
association president did this without con-
| Sultlng President Lennon. When all the
plans were arranged Hickey requested
! President Lennon to meet him in Chicago,
| and the local club owner reported at the
office Of the American associations presi-
dent Monday morning.
Trouble was not slow in starting:
PresfdeE Hickey explained what he had
| done and President Lennon at once filed
a fat-footed objection to any arrange
ment for a transfer of the st. Paul team.
President Hickey held up the agreement
of the st. Paul club owner and Lennon
answered by pointing out that he would
pay no attention to that agreement until
he had exhausted all means in an attempt
| to secure a downtown park in st. Paul.
| To back up this argument the St Paul
| magnate informed the league leader that
he was after another site for down
town park here. He ended the confer
| eIce by declaring that he would not per-
nit the association to take charge of
affairs until he had failed to secure this
site.
Hickey Not Satisfied.
The explanations of the local club own
er did not satisfy President Hickey, who
maintained that St Paul had been al
lowed the chance to make good and had
failed. Hickey pointed out that the as
ISOLATION needed time to make ready for
the coming season and insisted that Len
non get out Of the way and permit the
transfer. He refused to consider the re-
quest of President Lennon for more time
to secure a new park in st. Paul When
he demanded the immediate sale or trans
fer of the franchise President Lennon de-
liVered his ultimatum.
The local man informed the league lead
er that tie st. Paul team would not be
transferred without his consent and that
any attempt to forfeit the st. Paul fran
chise before he gave the word would mix
the league. in an ugly muss. Lennon
pointed tC the ten-year agreement which
is designed to prevent a majority of the
club owners forcing any one man out of
the association and promised 10 take the
matter into the courts the moment the
association made the first move toward
taking the st. Paul franchise.
Lemons Ultimatum.
! President Lemons ultimatum brings the
situation up to date. The local club owner
has returned to ST. Paul and he will now
wait for the association to make its first
hostile move. When that move is made
the attorneys Of the club will carry the
matter to the courts and an injunction to
restrain the association from interfering
with the st. Paul franchise will be asked.
They will not take the st. Paul team
out Of here until I am ready to let go of
yesterday. Il am not through trying to
hold the team here, and until 1 announce
that 1 am through, L will pay no attention
to any verbal agreements they may claim
l made at some time or other.
The association is against me to a
man. Minneapolis excepted, but if they
want to start a fight 1 will try and give
them all the trouble they are looking for.
have tried to act fair with the assOcia-
ton club owners, and at the same time
take care of the interests of the ST. Paul
baseball enthusiasts, and l might say of
st. Paul, for you know that the standing
of this town would be hurt if the team
were transferred. I have tried to act
fair with the other club owners and now
I will not be bullied. If they see fit to
attempt to hurry up the end of baseball
in St. Paul L will repudiate all of these
so-called agreements and will fight to
the last to hold the team here.
'I have nothing to Say at this time
about any new plans for a down town
park, though 1 told President Hickey
enough to show him that 1 still had a
chance to hold the team here. It we are
left alone we may present baseball here
next season in an improved condition If
we are not left alone and are forced to
fight, the team will stay here even if