The Washington herald., 1907-12-17
Supreme Power in the World
OF Baseball.
KEEPS HARMONY IN RANKS
All Doubts of His Reign in Ameri-
can League Disstpated at Annual
Meeting In chicaA when Mag
mates Went on Record in Favor of
HI" Course of Past seasOn.e

American League despite the predictions
made by some Of our learned friends,
the baseball experts.
East and West these well-informed men
had slated Mr.. Johnson for decapitatlon.
The tragedy was scheduled for last week
in Chicago, on the occasion of the annual
meeting Of the American League.
Charles Comiskey, president Of the Chi
cago White Sox, was TO have been chief
executioner. assisted by Messrs. KIfoyl
and Somers. the Cleveland magnates
And It was no guesswork. either In their
papers all over the country the decree of
the oracles was published. Johnson was
TO be relegated TO obscurty, and wires
We're being pulled by certain wise fell
lows for Big Bans job. Really, it is
10 laugh. says Walter c. Kelly, in the
Cleveland Leader.
For years and years these baseball ex-
perts have been "champeen" guessers.
They have been wonders at missing the
mark. They frame up deals. and dispense
dope through the winter months which
would back the dreamy race horse tout
Off the map entirely. Ban johnson to be
deposed? What rot. What would the
American League do without Ban John
son? Great as it is now. II would soon
develop into a mighty slip-shod sort of
an organization without the man who
fathered ii at its head.
Creator of League.
1t is not an exaggeration to say that
Ban Johnson created the American
League. 1t was a tremendous undertak-
ing. He took the initiative at a time when
the National League was the ruling power
in baseball. He did it in view Of the awful
example made of the great Brotherhood
by the National The disastrous finish
Of that rebelliOus organization did not
deter Ban Johnson He went about his
tesk like a regular Napoleon lie laid
his plans with masterful ingenuity. and
carried them out with admirable tact He
selected his aids and officers in the differ
ent cities with keen discrimination. Pre-
dietions were made by the National
moguls and their sympathizers that John
sons organization would not last any
longer than the Brotherhood, and one sea-
son saw the Brotherhood's finish
But these men We're not familiar with
the wonderful capacity Of the aggressive
young leader. They did not know John
sons marvellous knack for organizing:
they never dreamed that we had a young
man in the ranks of the newspaper fra
ternity possessed OF the executive ability
which subsequently manifested itself In
Ban Johnson. They did not stop to con-
slider that Ban Johnson had spent the
greater part OF his career as a newspaper
writer In the sporting department Of the
paper. devOting his time and attention es-
pecially to baseball. Naturally a young
man Of ability Johnson had made a
study Of baseball since boyhood. He was
familiar with all the details of the sport
both on the field and from an executive
point of view. He had watched the AFRO
CANT doings of the National League
Darons for years and was prepared TO
profit by the knowledge.
Faced Great Obstacles.
When he undertook the launching OF
the new league. johnson knew that 1t
meant a heap Of hard work and a fight
Of the most desperate character. Certain
people tried to dissuade him. but he would
not listen. He was told the project was
impossible. but he made no answer. He
merely gritted his teeth, set his deter
generals to march forward. When Ma
poleon first conceived the idea of crossing
the Alps, the world would have believed
aim crazy had he announced It openly,
but he accomplished the enormous task
The same Is true in the case Of Ban John
son and the American League. No man
would have believed that he could form
an organization capaple of fighting the
Ia Qrrf Do, ,nf
only did this, but soon had the parent
body asking for an armistice. and, eventu-
ally agreeing to peace terms such as
would never have been listened TO by the
National League mOguls before war had
been declared. so certain did they feel
Of annihilating the new league.
All this talk OF ousting Ban Johnson
from the presidency OF the American
League is tommyrot of the veriest sort
The American League is the offspring of
Ban JohnsOn's brain. his superb ingenuity
and indefaugable energy, in conjunction
with a conservative combativeness which
would not be denied no matter how SEEM
ingly insurmOuntable the obstacles. There
IS not another man in the organization
who could have begun to accomplish what
johnson did with such apparent ease and
1nesse.
Realizes His Worth.
There are men of money in the Ameri-
can League and men who know all about
baseball; but there is none who combines
the wonderful qualifications that form the
makeup of Ban Johnson. All the
magnates and managers Of the organiza-
ton pale away like pygrnies in compari-
son 10 the man who created the American
League and piloted it over the shoals Of
early adversely to its present commanding
position in the baseball world.
johnson is a born leader. and as such
he commands the respect of every man
ager and magnate in the league In their
hearts they all realize that johnson is
their superior mentally and executively
They have tried to frighten him by
threats. but he only smiles at them and
goes on about his business. The Cleve-
land club owners had a fit because the
team was fined $500 for alleged careless
playing at Detroit. Johnson probably af-
ter investigation saw that the club had
been punished wrongfully and interposed
no objection TO the rernittal of the fine.
But the great Comiskey, vino openly
vowed that he was going TO have Ban
ousted from the presidency. failed to
make good his boast.
Johnson presided at last weeks meeting,
and the subject OF his threatened retire
ment was not even hinted at. COmiskey
evidently did not have the moral courage
TO make the effort, and the other mag
mates. even those who President Johnson
had chastised. were too wise to take
chances of breaking up their great or
ganiZation by even expressing the slight
est dissatisfaction over JohnsOn's meth
DDS. To person up a tree II looks as