The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-24
TRACTION COMPANY WINS:
 FRANCHISE GOES TO RAGLAND
All Games to Be Played at Pickett SpringS--Wo Commenced at Once on New Ball Grounds.
 Whistler to be Here This Week.

By the merest heart throb Montgomery comes into her own again, and is now a member in perfect good standing of the Southern League of Baseball Clubs. That this goodly state of things exists Is due first and foremost to the unselfish work Of Judge William H. Kavanaugh, president of the league, who has worked in ana out of season to bring about the same peace pact in Montgomery that he was so instrumental in the famous peace be- twen the outlaw and Southern Leagues in Memphis and Birmingham, and the National Association and American Asso- ciation in Chicago. President Kavanaugh had done all that mortal man could do in fairness-and the word unfairness IS unknown. in the Kavanaugh lexicon-put when he reached New Orleans last Satur- day dark blue. sulphurous flame hover ed over the chances of this decoted city having any professional ball thls sum mer. Mims Hightower was down tnere with all kinds of credentials ana guara just what Shreveport did at the Birm- ingham meeting Kahn and some Snereve- port bankere raised the guarantee folh $50 to Sl00 and gave their personal en- would always give this guarantee to visit ing teams. Hightower was prepared, 10 do the same thing for Chattanooga, put he went to MT. Ragland Saturday morn ing and told him that in case there Was q settlement of the Montgomery uouDie he was not going to make a try for Cnat- tanooaa If no settlement could De nad in Montgomery, however, ne askeu tnae Montgomery help Chattanooga regain the franchise All the way through he acted as honorably as any gentleman could. With the shadows of that February nignt A gloom enwrapped the sad-hearted httie Montgomery contingent, the Wild rive4y, brilliant lights and biare or brass panos
 atxyP Pot nffaTlV stupidIv to pierce the Montgomery dark ness Sunday morning in the cafe or the Cosmopolitan Hotel Judge Kavanaugn' Messrs Caruthers Ewing Of Memphls, Palmer of Nashville and MT. SenniheS . s,e ol Montgomery were seated at a tanie, About that time MT. Ragland walked into the room and Palmer jumping up said 10 him: Lets settle this matter before the meeting is called" "All right; said MT. Ragiand, q am ready, and willing to do story short Palmer and Ewing proposed A give or take affair and the result was that for conditions eminently satisfaclory all around MT. Semmes signed paper e., which President Kavanaugh approved III which he agreed to give up any clam that he had in the Montgomery Iran chise, that franchise in its entirety pe!ns turned over to MT. Ragland. when the meeting was called at F o'clock Of course there was plain sailing and the league simply ratified the agreement signed py MT. Semmes. The most successful sea- son of baseball ever enjoyed in Montgom- cry seems to be the coming one: ., nere is no longer any "muddle" in Montgom- cry. but from now on the slogan VIII pc "play ball" and good hard, clean ball al that. Following Is detailed account ol the meeting: ~,1 vile was represented by James Palmer and Newt Fisher; Little Rock by Mike Finr and Aaron Frank; Atlanta py Ao- ner Powell; Birmingham by Charies MO ran and Coffee Jackson; Shreveport g og Sam Kahn; Memphis by Caruthers Ewing and Charley Frank; New Orleans by Hart D. Newman, and Montgomery Dy w. H. Ragland and Barry Holt. Robert Gilks of Shreveport and Raphael Semmes of Montgomery also attended the meet ing.
 After a long debate the meting agreed to pool the Fourth of July receipts and to be allowed $50 for expenses for each game with the exception of New Orleans, which is to have $50.
 When the matter of the schedule was taken up, both Memphis and Birming- ham objected to the report agreed to by the committee composed of Powell, Finn and Fisher, Both cities said they had not had an opportunity to study 1t. Both also thought that they were getting the least share of the plums.
 Chairman Finn said that the schedule was the best that had ever been adopted by the Southern League, that the good things had been distributed with perfect impartiality and that an examination would show that Memphis had less mile age than any city in the league. Propo- sitions to give Memphis and Birmingham time to inspect the schedule and to refer it to a mail vote were made and with drawn. Birmingham was finally convinc- ed that the schedule was unobjectionable and Memphis agreed to waive her appeal for delay. Seven cities voted for the schedule. Memphis did not vote at all.
 Manager Powell of Atlanta presented a proposition to bar from Southern League grounds American and National League clubs which had stolen Southern League players and were coming South to play exhibition games, unless they should make restitution. The proposition devel- oped a wide difference of opinion. Presi- dent Kavanaugh, however. urged that no action be taken. He said that negotia- tions were now in progress between the