Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-03
SCORE BY SEXTON
Sentiment of Small Leagues
Voiced by Rock Island
Magnate
AGAINST CLASS A MINORS
Rock Islander Urges Calling of Meet
ing to Straighten Mat
tiers.

| Chicago. March 3.-M. II. Sexton,
president of the Rock Island club and
! former president of the Three-Eye and
! Western leagues, was in the city yes
Itcrday in conference with Secretary J.
/ II. Farrell. of the Association of Minor
Leagues, and the result is likely TO be
la decided movement among the minors
against the scheme of the class A cir
cults to gain control of the minors as
sociation.
Incidentally. Mr.. Sexton is avowedly
in favor of the minor leagues accept
ing the compromise offer of drafting
rules proposed by President Johnson,
of the American league, and is DESTROYS
of a special meeting of the minor
! leagues to discuss the recent action of
the class representatives on the
minor league board in declining that
offer and to devise some way to take
advantage of il.
Wants Meeting Called.
| Mr.. Sexton, who has been one of the
bulwarks of minor leaguedom, who or
ganizcd the Three-Eye league. and who
was prominent in forming the minor
! leagues association, said:
The little leagues haven't the mon
ey TO send representatives travelling
around the country in their own inter
csts, but | would like TO see a meeting
called right away to see about this plan
of the class A leagues to frame up
things TO give them absolute control.
Those Is leagues of the lower classes
last year paid more than two-thirds of
the funds To support the National assO-
citation. The four class A leagues paid
the small balance. Now they want to
secure for themselves an equal voice
in the legislation of the minors with
all the Is little fellows. |, for one,
don't think that can be put through.
Is with Farrell.
Il am with Mr.. Farrell first and last
on the advisability of accepting the
offer made the minors by Ban John
son. In the 20 years | have been con
nected with baseball that is the fairest
proposition ever offered the minors
big or little II may not give us all we
want. but it is better than what we
have. Now, the national board was
never empowered by the minor leagues
to refuse that offer That board was
empowered to accept terms better than !
the existing national agreement and to ,
bind the minors by that acceptance,
but it most decidedly was not empow-
cred To decline terms which were more /
advantageous than the present ones.
1T is not clear TO me just how the /
class a people expect their scheme to /
work out but | do not see why there |
should be any breach with the major /
leagues. So long as the national agree /
ment is not violated this movement is |
purely an internal affair. to be handled /
by the minors themselves. OF course. /
if there is a breach of the agreement, /
then the majors will be compelled to
protect the leagues which live up to
the agreement"
GrifHth's Act Unwarranfed.
Secretary Farrell supported Mr. Sex
tons position in regard to Attorney
Griffith's not being empowered to de-
cline the offer made by Ban Johnson
to the minors. 1T was at Mr. Grit
fth's suggestion" he said that he
was delegated to meet Mr. Johnson, as
il was believed two men could discuss
the matter to better advantage than a
body of men. He was authorized to
act for the association in changing the
national agreement along the lines of
the proposition made by us to the ma
jor leagues. He was never empowered
to decline any and every counter prop
Osition which might come from the ma
jors without first submitting such Of
fers to the association. That he never
did. for | never heard of the terms of
fered us by Ban Johnson until | re-
ceived them direct from Mr.. Johnson.
think that offer is worthy of a sea
sons trial. at least"
HnVenOr In the Way.
1t developed yesterday that the fail
ure of the Griffith-HanlOn-Tebe Class
\ scheme to be accepted by the Amer
lean association was due largely to the
of c. $. Havenor. OF the Mil
club. \ plan was submitted TO
the association to provide a working
fund of $4,000 TO be made up by a levy
" 5000 on each club in the five class A
leagues. but il was not made clear
what this fund was to be used for
Said HavenOr: The only need of
such a fund is for war purposes. and if
L means war I'll have none of it. am
all SCARED up from the last war we
lad."