The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-16
BASEBALL WAR
RUMOR;S RETURN
Invasion OF Chicago Will BE
First, Step Toward American
Association Expansion.
FIVE CITIES IN LINE
Cincinnati and pittsburg Will
Be Included i'll the Circuit.
Ban Jolinson's Views.
We CITIES IN LINE.

! NEW YORK December l5.--Whilc
there was no sign OF any impending
trouble in baseball at the Waldorf
Astoria durir the meeting Of the Ma
tlonal League inagnates last week,
rumors OF war on the part of the
American Association continue to come
in from the West. 1t was the inten-
ton OF the American Association mag
mates led by Joe and Mike Cantillon
and George Tebeau. who are talking
war heavily to ask the National and
American Leagues for permission to
Inasmuch as the Nationals met In New
York and the Americans in Chicago. it
was decided toZpostpone action until
January Gtl, nest, when the National
The. committee of the American Asso-
citation Will then meet the commission
and will ask their consent to the plan
for invading Chicago.
The talk on the American Assocfa-
ton circuit is that the eXDanslonists
will follow the example of Charley
Comiskey. In 1901. and put club In
Chicago, whether the two major
son. who was at that time president
of the Western League, was the prin-
cipal mover In the scheme. Wien the
then owners of the Chicago Nationals
which club had Chicago TO itself at the
time, became satisfied that the West
ern League people were in earnest.
President James Hart fixed up a dea.
with Charles Comiskey. owner of the
Scx entered the field. In the following
year the American League expanded TO
the East. and eventually won Its fight
against the National League.
johnson Opposed
Ban Johnson has recently expressed
himself strongly against the expansion
ideas OF the Westerners. He has es-
cited the ire OF the Cantillons, Tebeaus,
etc. by declaring: Let the American
can't put club u. Chicago or any
whore else on our circuit"
That the National Commission VIII
turn down the request Of the American
Association is considered certain How
far the minor league men Will go In
such a case remains to be seen. The
temptation to put club in the North
Side OF Chicago. with 100000. popuia-
ton to draw on. Is very tempting, par,
ticularly as ST. Paul is not a good
baseball city.
In some quarters trouble is also eX-
pected from the proposed new base.
ball league that was much spoken of
early last fall. Claude Martin, the st.
Louis promoter of the scheme, who is
member of the organization commits
tee of the new league, recently an
nounced that the movement has by no
means died out. He stated recently
that meeting Will be held in this city
shortly, for the purpose of making
final arrangements for the fight that
is TO come. Martin declares that the
same people who ridiculed, the expan-
sion plans OF the American League
are those. who laugh at the movement
he is interested in, and that they are
responsible for the reports that the
plan is dead. He claims that five cities
| are now In line, and that the league
would now be active but for the tight.
ening In the money market. which
come to temporary standstills. Martin
claims that five cities are now in line,
including Cincinnati and Pittsburg, In