Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-08
Petition President Johnson to
Have Sir Joseph Bounced.
BLAMED FOR LOSS OF FLAG
Maps Admirers Doubtless Weary Of
Seeing Nationals Win.
ALSO AFTER UMPIRE EGAN
Lake City Fans Evidently Believe
They Run American League.
Byron Bancroft Laughs at
Petitioners

Petitioners
Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, n. Y, December S.-Per-
haps the checklist thing. to use slang.
that ever was proposed to an organized
base ball league is the petition which has
been sent from Cleevland asking the
American League to fire Joe Cantillon out
of the organization. Cleveland assumes
to run the whole American League. mere
ly because the Cleveland fans have a
quarrel with the Washington club, taking
the ground that it was through the re-
fusal of Washington to play Delehanty
last year that Cleveland was kept out OF
the pennant.
To hear the conversation of some OF
the Cleveland fans who by some strange
luck happen to be here at the same time
as the American League meeting one
would believe that Joe Cantiilon Is the
Mephistopheles Of base ball. and that IL
he is not removed from the game. Clevo-
land will voluntarily absent itself from
all contests which are played In that city
next summer in which the Washington
club is engaged.
Nationals Sure to Draw.
That may be the idea which the Clevo-
land fans entertain, but 1t Is dollars to
cents that about 5000 of them will be
inspired with curiosity to see whether
anybody else goes to the game. and by
<the time that they are allassembled
Washington will not be without a crowd
to see It, This petition from Cleveland,
which actually exists, IL said to contain
about 1900 names. Ban Johnson does
not know what to do with It, 1t won't
make an ornament for the ONCE OF the
American League in Chicago. and IL
can't be Of use for copy paper. IN spite
Of the fact that 1t Is so long. It recites
and is as vengeful as the threats OF the
New York fans not to patronize the chi
cago and Brooklyn clubs next year, hret
because the fans don't think that Muir
ply Is good sport, and second. because
Ebbets of Brooklyn voted to take away
that protested game from the New York
team.
Not only do the Cleveland fans want
Cantillon put out of base bali for good
but they are after Eagan, the umpire
should be retained by the American
League owners. and Insist that no ne
banished to the minors.
Eagan the Goat.
Poor Eagan is in New York. and can't
see why he should be- made a goat TO
suffer for all the sins Of the American
League.
Ban johnson probably will not make a,
serious matter OF the Cleveland protest.
Such protests are usually ser1o-comicI
kIrn ~t1ao yss,A md IN Ia M
document will go the way OF hundreds
which have gone before.
There are some Of the American League
people who have not made their appear
ance here, although all OF them viii un-
questionably be on hand by this evening.
The Cleveland crowd were little late
in arriving and they were kidded I'M
mercifully about. being afraid to come to
the city when they knew that the big
Letter. would precede them. There real
ly is not very much for the American
League people to do today except to
hobnob with their neighbors. and to mako
any trades which may bob up In case
there is an opportunity to do some trad
ing.
Minors in Good.
The requests of the American Associa-
ton and the Eastern League have been
received most favorably all along the line,
and it is the general opinion that both
of the Glass A minors will get what they
are after.
There seems to be no particular reason
why they should not. They have not
asked anything which Is out Of the way
and If the national commission Is re-
strained from giving them little liberty
by reason of the opposition of the major
leagues, which is expressed through the
commission, there is not much doubt but
the minors win pull out and go 1t alone.
The correspondent of The Star is in
a position to say that this will almost
certainly be done. In an interview
which was of a confidential nature and in
which the minor league representatives
were concerned it was stated nat
1y that they would not put up any
longer with the domination which had
been enforced over them by trolley
leagues.
No Thought Of Fight.
I'VE shall not make the slightest dis
turbance in base ball circles" said they.
There will be no fighting. no contract
breaking. nothing which will be out of
the ordinary, but we will not be man.
aged by a coterie of men who have
only a few cents invested. where our
plants are now costing US thousands OF
dollars. That is fiat, final and GER
tain"
A brother Of Ed Walsh, the Chicago
spitball pitcher. came over to sign his
contract with Comiskey. for Comiskey
has him on the reserve list for next
year.
Nothing doing" said Comiskey.
I'VE never sign contracts until ABOUT
two months from now, and then We
hook everybody up at once
Jennings Delayed.
Hugh Jennings had expected to be pres
ent at the meeting until the last moment,
but it is said that he will be taking an
examination before the Pennsylvania legal
department today and may not get
through with it until tomorrow. AS soon
as he is finished he will slide over to New
York to see his friends. providing that any
of them are left behind.
Clarke Griffith left for his house up on
Washington Heights late yesterday after
noon, sanguine that when he met Herr
mann this afternoon he would be the next
manager Of the Cincinnatis.
1t looks all that way. Grff hasn't
much OF a chance to get In with the
American Association. The figures are
too steep. In addition to that, Tebeau
raises the price OF a franchise every nve
minutes So "Grif'' believes that 1t would
be we'll for him to cast his lot with Herr
mann and the Reds. He Is to have a TWO.
year contract and longer IL he can get
one.
Sore on Bowerman.
Bowerman is sure to 60 to Boston a.