The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-14

"When information was brought TO me
from an authentic source that john H.
Ward was seriously consi1eTei for the
presidency of The National league, u o.
casioned me much surprise and raised the
question as TO the sincerity Of purpose OF
our organization Since the signing oil
the. peace pact and the creation Of the
national agreement, organized base94ll
has moved along in a broad, straight
channel. with moderate friction.
The chief snag encountered was our
effort 20 recover Player George Davis
after he had been awarded to the Chicago
American league club at the Cincinnati
peace conference. Mr.. Ward. acting rs
attorney for Player Davis, drew up The
3riglnaI contract with tne Ceicaso I Io
1T was tnree-year agreement, lto 70
bound and riveted. At a fixed date Davis
signed another contract with the New
YORK National league club
Davis Stays.
The New York club sought to retain
Davis, regardless of the Cincinnati ii
award, and. i'm fact, did use him i'm one
game, despite vigorous protest from the
Anne riCau league. The ChiCagO club was
finally obliged to go into the courts to
enforce its contract. and John N. Ward
represented the player in the prOce edings.
Davis was cheCkmated, but the Chi
CagO club did not have his services in
10 the Chicago club exceeded $1,000 The
entire transaction was clearly a con-
spiracy. and WantOn violation of the
peace pact entered into at Cincinnati
American league interests must be con
sideTed ard weighed i'm the construction
of @ue national commission each year. it
is Tar from our purpose 10 say, or even
suggest, who the National league should
elect as its president but common sense
and the interests Of other parties to the
agreement should be considered if the
present cordial relations are to continue.
The unbOunded prosperity the game
] as enjoyed under its present government
should serve as q safety valve to any
uuprejudiCidl act that might tend to de-
stToy healthtul sound and sportsman
like condition i'm baseball"
Stand by johnson.
The American league club owners say
they Will back up Johnson in anything
Wards election to the National league
presidency appears by no means secured.
President Murphy of the Chicago clu0
says that Ward twill be elected on the
inst ballots. but President DreyfuSS Of
the Pittsbug club claims that Ward can
not now command more than four votes.
il the vote is four for Ward and four for
HeydleT, the present executive will hold
ever under the provisions OF the National
league constitution.
Plenty of compromise candidates have
been named thus far. Almost all of
them viii be here to attend the Pittsburg
clubs banquet on Wednesday night. The
Murphy Ebbetts faction is expected to
select Joseph ID. O'Brien as its compro-
mise candidate, while if Hermann, Drey-
fuss and Dewey find they cannot elect
Heydler, they are likely, it is believed, to
place i'm nomination Robert Brown Of
Louisville.
Adrian Arson has little or no chance"
according to one of the magnates, ''and
his appearance here Is regretted, it he
ing the general opinion that whoever was
responsible for the veterans making tn .
trip eastward has been hoodwinked
Stanley Robinson, the ST. Louis club
owner, announced he would be on hand
here today, but Horace FOgel who repre-
sents the new owner of the Philadelphia,
will not arrive.
Friends of Fogel were quoted here to-
day as asserting that "as vet ne has not
pledged himself to the Murphy-Ehbetts
faction, and he VIII come here ready to
swap ais vote To any magnate that viii
give him some good players"
IF this is the case, Phladelphia's vote
Is unlikely 10 go TO HeydlcT, as the Herr
mann-Dreyfuss-DOvey combination has
stated that it would not elect its candi-
date by making any trades.
Opposed to Dictation.
New York, Dec. Robinson said to-
night that he was unalterably opposed to
Charles w. Murphy-WaTd's chief hacker
becoming "a dictator in the baseball
world
''His policies are fbr from being in line
with the ideas of men who have been
said the American league president land
would be ruinOus TO baseball if allowed
TO continue. The American league desires
10 continue ON friendly relations with its
National rival, but cannot do so if Murphy
IS &c dictate the policy of the National
league and elect man who has con-
sisten-ly tried to tear down the fabric
we have established.
Mr. Murphy stated, I believe, when
he first arrived here. that the American
leasUe was in favor of longer schedule
and tIat all our club owners advocated
Il. ! have talked with every man who
has "a financial interest in our league,
and cannot find anyone who desires to
have us play los games in a season.
M. Murphy also has insiuuated that
we Junior leaguers are attempting to die
tate who shall be elected president of the
National league, Ihis is wrong, but We
are surprised that National league club
owners should try to remove from office
a man like John Heydler.
More Heydlers are needed I'm the base
ball business. He is thoroughly honest
looks into the future and knows conditions
OF the past We have not said that the
National league should re-elect Heydler,
but we think that great harm will come
70 the national game if the club owners
do not"
Umpire Bride Case.
Concerning the case of the attempted
bribery OF the umpires in the play-Off
game between the Chicago and New York
NatloAdlsf on october 3, 1913, Johnson said
tonight that new evidence was sent to
him last summer. lie viii present this
TO his colleagues on the national commits
sion for review.
johnson is not altogether satisfied that,
when the National league turned over az
fidavits in the bribery cases to the ma
tiOnal commission, all papers in the case
were sent along. At that time a New
York physician was accused and was
made the scapegOat- Johnson thinks that
the physician was merely the represen-
tative of the man higher up" and he
believes he has evidence that viii en-
able the national commission to go after
this individual
The national commission had two short
Informal sessions today. Meetings win
De held tomorrow and THURSDAY at which
the new evidence concerning the umpire
bribery is 20 be gone over
The political end of the National
league meeting has absolutely over
whelmed the trading side. Managers Ct
the American, National, Eastern and TIL
State leagues are here, ready to make
deals, but, on account of the possible rup-
ture Of friendly relations between the
two big organizations, swapping PLAYERS
IS a secondary consideration.
The National league meeting is slated