Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-14
BASEBALL WAR
IS IMMINENT
AMERICAN LEAGUE OPPOSES
ELECTION OF WARD
PRESIDENT JOHNSON STRONG IN
FAVOR OF HEYDLER
Letter, Written by johnson to Garry
Hermann, Is Made Public.
The Session Convenes
Today
ASSOCIATED Press1

/ NEW lOlNtAt DeC. 10 ne AIiltll-
can league simply will not tolerate John
NJ. Ward being elected president Of the
National league to succeed John A.
Heydler, according to Ban b. Johnson,
/ American league president, who ar
rived in New York today.
[ II ne is elected, said Johnson, it
means war.
As outlining his position in the mat
/ ter on the eve of the National league
meeting, Johnson gave out a letter
which he has sent to August Hermann,
chairman of the national commission,
who was instrumental in ending the
( war between the two big leagues in
1903 The letter, dated Chicago, No
! Yember 80, and addressed to Hermann
/ at cincinnati, says:
{ when information was brought to
me from an authentic source that John
: NJ. Ward was seriously considered for
the presidency of the National league
it occasioned me much surprise and
raised the question as to the sincerity
of purpose of your organization. Since
. the signing of the peace pact and the
creation of the national agreement, or
! ganized baseball has moved along in a
| broad, straight channel, with moderate
friction.
The chief snag encountered was our
L
after he had been awarded to the Chi
cago American league club at the Gin
| cinnau peace conference. Mr.. ward,
acting as attorney for Player Davis,
drew up the original contract with the
! Chicago club. 1t was three-year
agreement, ironbound and riYeted. At
a subsequent date Davis signed another
contract with the New York National
! league club.
"1he New York club sought to retain
/ Davis. regardless of the Cincinnati
award and in fact did use him in one
game despite a vigorous protest Ihe
! Chicago club was finally obliged to go
to the courts TO enforce its contract,
and John NJ. Ward represented the
/ player in the proceedings.
"Davis was checkmated, but the Chi
cago club did not have his services in
the entire season. The cost of htiga-
ton to the Chicago club exceeded SSOJO.
The entire transaction was clearly a
conspiracy and a wanton violation OF
the peace pact entered into at Cincin-
natl American league interests must
be considered and weighed in the con-
struction of the national commission
each year.
ut is far from our purpose TO say, or
even to suggest, whom the National
| league should elect its president, but
common sense and the interests of oth-
er parties to the agreement should be
considered if the present cordial rela-
tions are to continue.
"The unbounded prosperity that the
game has enjoyed under the present
government should serve as safety
valve to any prejudicial act that might
tend to destroy q healthful, sound and
sp0rtsmanlike condition in baseball"
johnson also said that he was unal-
terably opposed to Charles w. Muir
phy-Ward's chief backer-becoming
dictator in the baseball world.
His policies are far from being in
line with the ideas of men who have
been working for the development of
baseball" said the American league
president "and would be ruinous to
baseball If allowed to continue. The
American league desires to continue on
friendly relations with its National ri
walls, but cannot do so If Murphy is to
dictate the policy of the National
league and elect a man who has con
sistently tried to tear down the fabric
we have established.
Mr.. Murphy stated, / believe, when
he first arrived here, that the American
league was in favor of a longer sched-
ule. and that all our club managers ad-
yocated it. | have talked with every
man who has a financial interest in our
teams and cannot find any one who de-
sires to have US play 16S games in
season.
'NGr. Murphy also has insinuated
that we junior leaguers are attempting
TO dictate who shall be elected presi-
dent Of the National league. This is
wrong, but we are surprised that Ma
tional league club owners should try
to remove from office a man like John
Heydler,
More Heyders Needed
"More Heydlers are needed in the
baseball 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-elcct Heydler, but we think
that great harm will come to the ma
tional game if the club owners do
not"
Concerning the case Of the attempted
bribery of the umpires in the play off
game between the Chicago and New
York Nationals on October 8, 1908,
johnson said tonight that new evidence
was sent to him last summer. He viii
present this to his colleagues on the
National commission for review. john
son is not altogether satisfied that,
when the National league turned over
affidavits in the bribery case to the
national commission, all papers in
the case We're sent along At that
time a New York physician was ac-
cused and was made the scapegoat
Johnson thinks that the physician was
the representative of the man higher
up" and he believes he has evidence
that will enable the national COM
mission to go after this individual.
The national commission held two
short informal sessions today. Meet
ings will be held tomorrow and Thurs
day at which the new testimony con-
Cerning the umpire's bribery is to be
gone over.
The political end of the National
league meeting has absolutely over
whelmed the trading side. Managers
Of the American, National Eastern
and Tri-State leagues are here, ready
to make deals, but on account of the
possible rupture of friendly relations
between the two big organizations,
swapping players j. a secondary con-
sidcratioh,
The National league meeting is slated
to start at 2 o'clock tomorrow after
noon, but the general impression is
that the gathering will be late in get
ting under way, as the board of di- |
rectors will meet first. All National
and American club owners are here
except Thomas J. NOyes Of Washing
ton. He is expected in the morning.
John II. Brush OF New York, on ac-
count of Ill health, will not be able |
to attend the National league meet |