The Topeka state journal., 1905-10-10
Topeka DESERTS.
Leaves Shiyeley and Western
Baseball Association.
Applies fOrAdmissiOn to O'Neili's
Western League.
FINDS A LOOP HOLE.
New Bylaws Contain No Agree
ment Whatever.
Leave Topeka and Wichita Free
to Do as Please.

Dick Cooley and Herman Grow to-
day notified President Tip ONein of
the Western league that they are
ready to put Topeka into his circuit.
No distinct definite outcome of the
negotiations can result until the an
nual meeting of the Western league
which takes place at Omaha on Oc-
tober 20. Cooley and Crow will at
tend this gathering of magnates, at
which time it is expected that the final
arrangements will be made
There is apt, however, to be a pretty
hard fight if the course now mapped
cut to put Topeka into the Western
league is carried out, and it viii read,
Shiveley VS.. O'Neill. What it will
really amount to Will be the Western
league taking advantage of a weak
spot which the Western association for
several reasons left in its bylaws at
the annual meeting last spring.
The matter came out in an acct
dental sort Of way. When Tip . NELL
was in Topeka about ten days ago 20
see what the chances were of includ-
ing Topeka and Wichita in his circuit
he called on w. T. Logan, formerly
secretary and half owner of the White
Sox
Under how long an agreement are
you playing? ?" was one of the questions
which he asked.
well, you have me stumped,' re-
piled Logan as he delVed into the re
cesses of his desk for copy of the
bylaws. While looking through the
book he kept on talking. I was on
the committee to revise the bylaws OF
the Western association this year and
never heard a single word said re-
gaFding the agreement. In fact L
know that there was nothing done
along that line. The bylaws contain
no mention of it sat all. So I guess
III -I.--- z
/ a agreement at all save just sort of
/ verbal arrangement lasting this year
But then I do not know positively
! But still it seems that would know
something about it for I was on the
/ revising committee.
That put bug in Tips ear.
4 Easy money" he whispered to him
: self. For if any of you know Tip.
you know that he is shrewd, smart
and real baseball genius. He is just
/ clever enough to have been a friend
/ of Joe Cantnlon's all his life, and Joe
] is the man with the brains as the
! baseball men express it. The two
work together like two fingers. Joe
| took second at Milwaukee this year in
! the American association He also
/ owns the Des MOines team in the
! Western league. and It finished first
, under the wire in that race. Incl
/ dentally the Des Mofnes management
announced on the q. t. to some of its
/ friends recently that it cleared up be-
/ tween $19, 900 and S15, ,000 this year.
So you can see that CantiIlon isn't a
weaazling. and neither are his friends
/ Tip O'Neil is one of his closest of the
| latter.
"a good baseball league without an
agreement" smiled Mr.. O'Neill to him
self why that is like finding it, We
/ can just walk in here if that is the
| case Guess that isn't easy picking
Aw, you reporters forget that 800
'buy-in price which the National
agreement says we would have to pay
for these towns in order to get them. "
For the sake of the uninitiated it
! had better be explained what an agree
ment is The great thing in American
/ baseball is the cpnapltcated vet very
/ ironclad protection n5aici7-is guaran-
1 teed it by means of a sDerfect 5organiza-
/ ton. When a league is formed it inn
! National association of professional
| baseball clubs which includes every
professional league in the country.
/ There are a few small incOnsequential
leagues over the country not t'in, - and
they are dubbed independents. The
Central Kansas LEAGUE is one of these
So after a league Joins the National
association each town pays $500 as a
guarantee that it will abide by the
rules laid down. and for this sum also
is protected to the extent that no other
club can come into any of its cities
and establish another league team. II
a higher league wants any of these
towns it must pay for it. a certain
stipulated price. Then each diferent
league gets into a little compact or.
ganization of its own. It's most i'm
portant act is to have all the cities il
its circuit make an agreement TO sticl