The Washington herald., 1907-12-18
OUTLAW CLUB HERE?
Union League Intends to Put
Team i'll Washington.
LANDGRATH GETS FRANCHISE
Former Owner of POttsvilIe (Pa.D
Club Given Option to Place n Team
i'm This City-Pnrties Were Here
Last summer Looking for Suitable
Park-Bin Clarke Has baltimore.

Unless the plans of the promoters Of
the Union Baseball League, which was
organized at Philadelphia on Monday
evening, miscarry. Washington will have
an outlaw team next season.
The greatest secrecy concerning the new
! organization was maintained until last
Sunday, when the first announcement
of the meeting was made. but it was
! learned yesterday that if a suitable park
can be obtained. a club will be placed in
this city. This will give the league a
circuit composed of Washington. Phila-
delphia, Brooklyn. Newark. Paterson
Baltimore. Reading. and some other city.
The franchise for a club in this city
will be given to f. c. Landgrath. who
formerly owned the Pottsville CPa) club
Landgrath has been interested in promot-
ing baseball for number of years. and
has organized clubs through the South
particularly in Virginia
Here Last Summe4
Last summer parties interested IN put
ting an outlaw club in this city visited
Washington and made inquiries Of sew
eral baseball men in regard 10 obtaining
a park. At that time il was said that
Lave Cross was to return here as mana
ger of the new team, but nothing more
was heard until yesterday when il was
learned that r. c. Landgrath had been
given an option on a franchise for this
/ city
All of the men at the head of the new
Union League are comparatively young
men. with one excepticn-A p. Konkle,
/ Of Newark-but most Of them are men Of
! baseball experience. That they mean 10
do great things is very evident, for they
already speak OF the new organization as
! second in importance only TO the two
major leagues They openly assert that
! they expect i'm a very short time % enter
/ the West, and complete d really national
/ circuit
/ Their plans are certainly ambitious. and
not impossible for in 1850 President Ban
Johnson replaced two Of the smaller cities
Of the American League circuit with Chi
csgo and Cleveland. Remaining content
with that for one year he threw out four
more towns in the West and replaced
them with four big cities in the East,
despite the fact that the National League
was supposed 10 be so strongly intreuch-
ed as 10 make opposition impossible. In
one sense il viii be little harder now
for the Union League 10 gSin foot
hold as there are now two big leagues
TO tight while In Johnsons day there
was but one. On the other hand, there
are more people in the big cities Of the
country, and Consequently more baseball
cranks to attend. and BY their attendance
furnish the "sinews Of war"
III III. I
out 10 accomplish. while not impossible
can only be done by men who possess
an unlimited supply Of nerve OF diplO-
macy. of ability. and OF money. Failure
in any one OF these respects may well
mean failure of the whole Schcr1e
Whether the men at the head Of this en-
terprise are the men for whom the situa-
ton calls can only be learned as time
passes.
Al Lawson President.
The president OF the organization. "AT'
W Lawson. has long been known as a
baseball promoter, but his operations
have heretofore been confined 10 the or
ganization of either small clubs or small
leagues. II is only fair TO him TO state
that his organizations have been in the
main successful in their small way He
has never been tak18 seriously by any
Of the recognized powers Of baseball. but
neither had Johnson before he 'eX-
panded" the American League.
Mr.. LaWsOn's declaration OF principles
is contained in the following statement
he made at the beginning of the meeting
Monday.
In our opinion. neither God nor Presi-
deIt Roosevelt intended that the United
States should be owned by the few gen
tlemen who compose the body polite of
the baseball trust, with authority 10 close
the door of opportunity TO all others who
do not belong to the charmed circle
We believe in the inalienable right Of
every man TO enter whatsoever business
he may choose. whether il be the base
ball or the oil business In order TO keep
pace with the natural growth of the
baseball business, more clubs and leagues
are necessary to furnish variety to the
public and positions 20 ball players
That a few gentlemen should get to-
gether in an organized body and take
upon themselves the power 20 regulate
public wants. or to limit the number or
earning capacity of professional base
ball players. or TO stifle all healthy com
petition in the baseball business is an as
sumed arrogance which most Americans
viii not tolerate.
We believe there is room for a first
class independent league in this coun-
try-a league that will cater to the pub
lie and stand between the ball player and
slavery.
The Union League has been organized
for that purpose. and in the future will
refuse TO ally itself with any other base
ball organization whatsoever
One of the worst forms Of tyranny
practiced in baseball at the present time
is the reserve rule" which permits the
club owners TO hold a ball player for the
term of his natural life after he has once
signed a contract, and to sell or trade
him off like a billygoat without bis con
sent
The reserve rule" will be eliminated
from the constitution Of the Union
League, and at the close Of the season
players win have the right to 20 wher-
ever they please.
Hussey in Brooklyn.
Ambrose W. Hussey, the Brooklyn man. !
controlled Ridgewood Park, where there
was so much talk about Sunday base
ball couple Of years ago. That park
has now been cut up into building lots.
but Mr.. Hussey opened new grounds that
proved successful last season. It is stated |
that he is really responsible for the "ex-
pansion' of the big towns Of the Allan |
tic League to the Union League. This IS |
what he says:
In Brooklyn there are three million |
aires behind the club. and last season we
drew twice as many people to our games /
as the Nationals. Mr.. Ebbets tried IN ev- |