Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-02
Baked BY BAN JOHNSON
Washington Was Slated for Minor
Organization.
NEW ORLEANS FAvoRITEs LOST
Dates for Local Harness Races
Money Up for Acknowledgement
Fight-Bowling Battles.

Details of a base ball conspiracy calculat-
ed to reorganize the entire structure oper-
ating under the present national agreement.
which was recently nipped in the bud BY
the overwhelming defeat of Howard c.
Griffiths and George Tebeau at the annual
election of the National Association Of
Minor Leagues have been handed to the
New York sun by a trustworthy individual
who is on the inside. He said In part:
There is excellent ground for the belief
that both John r. Brush and Garry Herr
mann National League magnates, We're be-
Lind Grffiths and Tebeau in their agitation
against the American League and in their
attempt TO weld the class A minor leagues
together 1t was a deeply laid plot to or
ganize a new major league circuit. the for
nation of which would have forced the Ma
tionsl League and the American League to
consolidate into an elght-club organization.
1t was planned. so ] am reliably informed,
TO hand cold deal to the New York Amer
leans and the Brooklyn Nationals in the re-
arrangement with resort to a freezeout II
that became necessary. Griffiths had close
connection with Brush and Hermann all
through the negotiations and would prob"
ably have been successful, or partially SO,
had It not been for Ban Johnson and p. L.
Powers. If Grifiiths and Tebeau had been
able TO form a new circuit, or the nucleus
of one the pressure would have been put
on to drive the Brooklyns into 1t, with no
regard for their future welfare. 1t was the
plan of Brush and Hermann TO have a new
eight-club circuit composed of the Boston
Americans, New York Nationals, Philadel-
phia Americans and the Pittsburg Nation
ais in the east. with the Chicago Nationals
the Cleveland Americans, the Cincinnati
Nationals and consolidated st. Louis club
in the west. That would have paved the
way for another major circuit made up of
Providence Brooklyn, Baltimore and Wash
ington in the east, with Buffalo Detroit
Louisville and Indianapolis or Columbus In
the west. In this way the identity of the
American League would have been lost, just
as was the case when the old American As
ISOLATION in 1891 was merged with the Ma
rfonal League. With sixteen major league
cities monOpolized by the two organizations
any chance for opposition would have been
shut off and the New York American
League Club, which was the real target for
the schemes, would have been forced TO
sell out or quit. In Boston IT was planned
10 force a consolidation, as was the idea to
be carried out in Chicago. Johnson got
on to the game some time ago. and when
Powers was forced to withdraw from the
presidency of the Eastern League the in
side of the plot stood out in bold relief.
Johnson stood behind Powers in his fight
tonal Association of Minor Leagues, and
when Griffiths and Tebeau were forced into
the retirement the Jig was up. There will
be no consolidation. and the American
League would never have consented to such
deal anyway, but Brush and Hermann
thought they could jam the scheme through
In spite of Johnson's opposition. If Pulliam
had been defeated for the National League
presidency Griffiths would have fallen into
the job as part of the scheme but again
Johnsons fine Italian hand appeared in be-
half OF Pulliam and the schemers fell WITH
a dun thud"