The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-20
MEETING MAY PROVE STORMY Souihel1 Llasuers Gather at
 menphis. QUESTION OF A FRANCHISE Chattansosa Asain Alier the Little
 Rsck Berth. BiIiy s.aith win Be Asked To Explain Pesitssa On Aiiesea stateneHs. --ss.e Mere Dspe To Be
 Taken On Left Asne By

The eventfui gathering of the mag mates of the Southern League in Bir- mingham in 1909 promises to be equall- ed in strenuous. stormy excitement by the league meeting to be held in sdemphis next month.
 The Memphis meeting is going to be filled to the brim with interest and on the result of 1t the future of the National game in Dixie may depend. At the Birmingham meeting Mont gomery was voted a franchise in the Southern League. succeeding Chatta- noogo, which city had been voted out of the circuit a few months before. Representatives of Chattanooga were bitten aae one js Sus Judge Kasansush as s steer ed the ledgue safely over the shoals with the game skill that had ridden out the storm of Charlie Franks out law league. since then representa. every meeting of the Southern League in efforts to have that town once more included in the circuit. Their efforts were to have Little Rock dropped and take the vacant place. but every year the Chattanooga people met with de- feat. the main reason being that Judge Kavanaugh had announced that if Little Rock was dropped he would resign his position as president of the Last year the Little Rock people in order to see whether Chattanooga was blufftng called their hand and offerel senm tine le ne e E9ss TSs csas | nooga people claimed that the price was too high and refused to accept. Not long after the Savannah franchise | in the South Atlantic League was put on the market and the Chattanooga people bought 1t.
 For some years there has been two | factions in the Southern League. one l trying to have Little Rock dropped | from the circuit and the other making a fight to hold the circuit intact and | by Keeping the Arkansas town in not | taking any chances of losing Judge Kavanaugh as chief executive of the league. At the meeting in Memphis made to have Little Rock dropped from the circuit and this time the chances of success are brighter than | they have been since the movement was started.
 The fight was started in Montgom- cry last summer and has been going on since. The anti Little Rock people claim the votes of Mobile. Montgom- Nashville with the possibility of swinging the New Orleans vote to their side of the question.
 Some Tfits.
 Charlie Frank and Judge kava- naugh have had several tits lately, but when 1t comes to a question of a vote to drop Little Rock with the chance of Judge Kavanaugh going at the, same time the action of Frank Is problematical.
 There is no argument as to the fact that Little Rock by It's unweildy geo. graphical position and small drawing ! powers has proved distinct loss to the league financially every year. Of course as good a man as Judge Kavanaugh may be found to head the league, but he has not been discovered l e.. st. weeks ago made the statement that they were making so much money with their South Atlantic League franchise that they did not want a have been bluff and. when the time | comes, the Chattanooga people may jump at the chance of once more be- ing included in the Southern League circuit.
 Little Rock had one year longer under the seven year franchise that was given every member of the South ern league. and if Little Rock. Mem- phis. New Orleans and Nashville stand together there will be deadlock. Another live wire that will come up at the meeting will be the investiga- tion of the charges that Billy Smith is said to have made in regard to the Atlanta Baseball Association. Smith in an interview Is quoted as saying that the Atlanta Association asked him to draw the finish line--in other words to throw games and make the finish close enough to help the gate receipts. President Heiseman, of the Atlanta Association, denies this emphatically.
 A number of years ago Billy Phyle, of the Memphis club. was blacklisted for making just such statement as Billy Smith Is alleged to have made, and 1t Is only. in the last year. or so that he has been reinstated to the ranks of organized ball.
 some New Men.
 The rxvfI of nk more baseball men than have ever been in the South before, as for the first time in the history of baseball the annual meeting of the National Association will be held in the South. This meeting will be held in Memphis at the same time that the meeting of the Southern League.