Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18
Minor Leagues Turned Down
by Americans and Nationals.
WANTED TOO UGH
TREATED WELL
IN NEXT SEASONS SCHEDULE.
Fast Indoor Tennis - New Orleans
Races-Many Bowling Battles
Base Ball Notes.

| 1t will probably be long time before the
| minor leagues will consent to take stock
| in the promises of the National League
| again. says the New York Sun. Acting in
! perfect harmony, the National League and
| the American League. through President
! Ban Johnson of the latter organization,
made what deemed to be an exceeding
| ly fair proposition to the representatives
! of twenty-six smaller leagues, at the Hotel
Breslin. New York. yesterday: but after
! due elaboration it declined with the
prospect of disruption in the ranks of the
National Association.
| The minor leagues case was bungled and
| botched in such a manner that no other
| result could have been attained. Several
weeks ago the crafty National League men
| informed the minors that they were with
them in their requests for alleged justice:
| but with John T. Brush. who professed to
be their friend. away in Hot Springs, the
other National Leaguers jumped at
chance to throw their support to the Amer
lean League.
For several hours Thursday night John
son listened to q long-winded argument
from a minor Lacquer who recently pushed
himself to the front and will consequently
have to shoulder the blame for the fiZZle.
Johnson soon learned that the minor league
organization was on the verge of disruption.
1t developed that the men who were in
strumental In making the demand for an
increase of the drafting price for class A
players to $3.50 were violently opposed to
a proposition from Judge w. Fl. Kavan-
augh of Little Rock, the president of the
Southern League to raise that orga niZa ton
into class A. Johnson stood with Kavan-
augh on the proposition and the Southern
League, in receipt of rundown, can now
be relied upon to stand with the American
League in case of trouble.
Minor Leagues Not in Unity.
1t also developed that George Tebeau, who
represented the American Association did
not have the united support of his league as
Edward Barrow was the ground repre-
sentfng the indianapolis. Columbus and
Minneapolis clubs, which. he said, We're not
in any way dissatisfied with the present ma
tfonal agreement. Furthermore it was
shown In the course of time that there is a
fierce factional fight under way in the East
ern League. the object of which is the GUST
ing of L. T. Powers, the man who made and
saved this organization from ruin a half
dozen times, from the presidency of the
league and also from the presidency of the
National Association of Minor Leagues
Ihere was additional evidence of friction
between Hanlon of Baltimore and Stallngs
of Buffalo. both Eastern League men, be-
cause the latter claimed that Hanlon did
not cover up two Buffalo players Cfymer
and Courtney. who We're eventually turned
over to National League clubs while Han
Ion succeeded in covering up the whole
baltimore team by placing them on the
drafting list of the Brooklyn club. In other
words. there was every indication that the
minor leagues were ready to tear one an
other to pieces rather than to stand together
in q fight for so-called rights
When Johnson tired of listening to the
weary tale of woe he turned about with a
bombShell in the shape of a statement that
he knew it to be fact that Stallings and
Hanlon. at the recent Eastern League meet
ing. had urged warlike measures and had
shown disposition to injure the American
League in various ways.
Johnson's Bombshell.
You can withdraw from the national
agreement" said Johnson. land we will
respect your contracts. but not the reserve
rule. But let me say that if you make war
and IIanlon takes the initiative, as l I'M
derstand he wants to do. will predict that
he will be without a club or a city inside of
a year.
Then Johnson. backed up By Hermann
and Pulllam, representing the sentiment of
the National League made this proDosition
to the minor leagues:
we will pay you 81 900 cash for players
drafted from Glass A leagues two PLAYERS
from each club; $50 for Glass B, and $500
for all other leagues, In cash. the moment n
player is drafted. If you will accept this
proposition. and you show me next fall
that 1t has been hardship for the minor
leagues. We will be ready and willing to
adopt your plan. that of 81 800 for Glass AA
$1,000 for Glass A. and so on down. The
present arrangement calls for $3.50 for Glass
players. to be paid in installments, $500
for Glass B. and $500 for Glass c. in view
Of which our proposition must seem to be
eminenty fair"
But the minor leaguers were headstrong
They were looking out for their personal in
terests and not those of the small fry so
they concluded to refuse, with the result
that the present scale of prices will remain
as 1t Is TO the detriment of many clubs that
usually find it Il hard task to make ends
meet. With this turn in the tide it deve-
oped that the two big leagues had succeed
ed in killing the alleged sentiment in favor
of the minors incidentally showing up the
grasping policy of few men who have
been working all the time for their own
personal ends And so the poor minor
leagues, usual, have come out at the
little end of the horn
After making public the above facts Presi-
dent Johnson handed out the official play
Ing schedule. 1t consists of 154 games, the
same that of the National League The
season will open on April Ii. with New
York at Washington Boston at Philadel-
phia, st. Louis at Chicago and Detroit at
Cleveland The other openings are Wash
ington at New York and Philadelphia at
Boston on April 81. Chicago at Detroit on
April 10 ard Cleveland at st. Louis on
April 2S On Decoration Day New York
plays at Philadelphia. Boston at Washing
ton. st. Louis at Cleveland and Detroit at
Chicago On July 4 Washington plays In
New York city. St Louis at Detroit. Chi
cage at Cleveland and Philadelphia at Bos-
ton. The Boston world champions will be
the New York attraction in two games on
Labor day, with Washington at Philadei-
phia. Chicago at Detroit and st. Louis at
Cleveland The last games of the cham
pionsfip season will be played on October s,
although the New Yorks wind up their cam
paign in Boston on October Z. u