The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-03-03
WEST CONTROLS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Sale Of Philadelphia Club
Cinches Peace Agree
ment.

CHICAGO. March 1.-THE deal by
which the Philadelphia National league
club changed hands" Saturday re-
moves one of the last hurdles in the
way of clinching the peace agreement
under which the American and Ma
tional leagues have been working since
early in the year.
1t is a matter of record that John T.
Brush the mouthpiece of the New York
National league club, was forced TO
swallow that agreement, much against
the dictates of his palate, and, for that
reason, the Freedman representative
would jump at the first excuse to force
the old league to abrogate that COM
pact. SO long as John 1. Rogers owned
the balance of power in Philadelphia
it was always possible for Brush to In
fiuence the Philadelphia lawyers vote
on some proposition not to his liking.
That vote, added to the Brush faction,
which includes Boston and Brooklyn
magnates. could have produced at least
q deadlock in the league.
Brush Is Tied Up.
With the Philadelphia club in the
hands of the syndicate got together by
Dreyfuss, of Pittsburg, the West now
controls the National league, with a
working majority of five to three, and
no chances for desertion on personal
grounds. The Importance of this ap-
pears when it is remembered the Ma
tional league is to meet day after to-
morrow in New York for the purpose
OF adopting the playing schedule and
rules prepared by the joint committees
in this city last week. By provoking
IL.
refusing to adopt ii, Brush and his al
lies could have caused endless trouble
if anxious to do SO, or if the dates al
lotted their respective clubs did not
suit them.
James A. Hart, Garry Hermann and
Barney Dreyfuss are the new powers in
control of the old league. With them
are associated Frank De Haas Robin
son, of st. Louis, and the new Philadel-
phia syndicate, which is made up Of
friends Of Dreyfuss and Hermann. II
is true the published accounts of the
transfer make it appear that the club
is still in the hands of Philadelphians.
The fact is emphasized that out of a
long list of shareholders only three are
from outside cities-Julius F'leisch-
mann, of Cincinnati; Fl. r. MCGOWAN.
of Pittsburg and Cincinnati. 1t also
endeavors to make it appear that the
control of the club is in the hands of
some of the social leaders of the
Quaker city.
Fleischmanns Own Club.
The actual facts of the transfer, If
revealed, would show that the control
of the club is in the hands of julius
and Max Fleischmann, part owners of
%he Cincinnati club, who have fur
nished the financial backbone of the
deal. A large number of Philadelphians
have been interested to the extent of
4 few shares each in order to give
the public the impression that they
controlled the club.
There is no harm in this kind of de-
ception, because the baseball public
does not like the syndicate bugaboo a
little bit, but the facts of the transfer
make plain just how well Dreyfuss and
his allies have secured control of the
league. The Fleischmanns, being part
ners of Hermann, will vote with the
Cincinnati club, which is one of the
new big three" in baseball, and Rob-
ison, of st. Louis, is bound to them by
close personal interests and relations
aside from the other fact that his in
terests naturally will be served by
sticking to the Western clique.
The cause of organized baseball on
a peaceful basis is also advanced by
this combination, as Hermann and
Fleischmann are firm friends of Ban
Johnson, the American league leader,
and Hart and Dreyfuss are avowed ad-
Nocates of peace and organized sport.
While there may be considerable
mighty interesting history made at the
meetings of the big leagues this week,
it Will be underneath the surface to a
great extent and the developments OF
the surface will show little except the
formal ratification of schedules and
rules drafted during the conference
here.