The Washington herald., 1910-12-16

NJ hodgenan, prominent stock broker
in the Mound City The committee viii
meet Mrs Hodgeman and his partners
in St Louis next Tuesday, and there
seems TO be no doubt that the big deal
will be sanctioned. Mr.. Hedges viii re-
ceive close 10 s5S5.O0O for his holdings and
will retire from baseball with regret
He has not been forced out of the Amer
lean League. In fact. his withdrawal is
not received with favor by some of the
big men in the league, but the ST. Louis
masnats says he is not in robust health
and that he cannot stand the worriment
caused by the handling Of losing major
league team.
''Tbe Browns are disorganized, and il
win be an uphill task TO secure new play
ers who can win" said Mr.. Hedges to-
night Il do not feel able TO undertake
such hard work, and as / can turn the
club over TO business men OF St Louis,
/ who Will help baseball in the willing
ness TO spend money and perseyere with
/ new talent ! believe / am justified in
selling out
Il have acted fairly with the Ameri-
can League in securing purchasers of the
club that will be acceptable. have
asked Messrs. Johnson, Comiskey, Far
rell, and other fellow-club members to
investigate Mt Hodgeman's syndicate.
and If they approve Of tho deal the stock
VIII change hands l own. through cor
porations. the property and the plant to-
gether with g. per cent of the stock
The new stands cost nearly S3O000O, and
the property is Of sufficient value 10
warrant the price fixed by me-about
lfa4
as soon as Messrs Comiskey. Farrell.
and Johnson sanction the deal.
Hedges Wants to Go Abroad.
Il have had no differences with the
American League men There has been
no friction over the alleged attempt To
interest Fielder Jones in the club /
talked over the proposition once with
Jones brother, and I told Comiskey about
it. but it amounted to nothing at all.
My announced retirement was a surprise
TO the American League. but there is
no help for IT, I want to go abroad for
a long trip and forget about Worry"
Mr.. Hedges was not forced out" said
President Johnson. just before ne left
for the West to-day He is ready 10
sell of his own accord. lie has acted in
/ .
and / am sure that the gentlemen who
are ready TO buy his stock will be ac-
ceptable TO our committee"
1T is unfair to say that Mr.. Hedges
was coeTced into selling his stock and
that the American League is glad 10 get
him out" declared President Farrell,
Of the New York club. He has been
! loyal 10 the league, even though his club
has been unfortunate. He is unstrung
4 by the strain OF trying TO build up
/ loser. and / don't blame him for quit
ting He is rich man and doesn't have
to worry over baseball matters. Besides,
/ il isn't every day that more than half a
million dollars can be secured for 60
per cent of a baseball club. We are
sorry to see Mr.. Hedges go, l can assure
you
II had first chance TO buy the club"
said James McAleer. manager OF the
/ Washington club IT was the wish Of
the league men that l should buy il,
but when I learned that the price was
$555,000 I decided that / would perhaps
tie myself up for life, and that / might
b better of without such a tremendous
burden. So ! am going to stay manager
OF the Washingtons.
/ The American League men were in
/ session less than an hour this afternoon
the delegates discussing the big St. Louis
deal exclusively Mr. Hedges explained
the situation more fully, and at O'Clock
the meeting adjourned. Johnson. Comis-
key. and other club owners then made a
Decline for a Western limited. Mr.
Hedges will leave for ST. Louis to-mor-
row morning.
National Leaguers WrangIe.
The National League men at the Hotel
Breslin had another long secret confab
and adjourned again until the morning.
The political wheel operated by August
Hermann took another turn, and when
the figures were added 1t was found
that c. w. Ebbets, of the Brooklyn club.
had been left off the schedule commit
tee. President Lynch had the power 10
appoint this committee. and he named
himself chairman 10 act with John A.
Heydler, the leagues secretary. and Bar
ney Dreyfuss. of the Pittsburg club
Mr.. Ebbets for nearly twenty years has
been known as the leagues schedule
maker. He is an expert In arranging
dates. and has been chairman of this
committee for a long time Last winter
he made long fight for a 16s-game
schedule. and also hung out for an ex-
tended season that carried the dates TO
| October t. This did not please the
American League men, and at the Pitts
| burg conference last February when the
7 rival league schedule makers got to-
gether, Ebbets and Lynch had a war of
words. Ebbets opposed Lynch's reelection
this year until be found that Hermann
held the whip hand, but he managed to
have 500 fine inflicted by Lynch for an
infraction of the waiver rule RENTED by
the board of directors. Hermann was
blocked by Ebbets in his attempt to have
Lynch elected for more than one year
and for that, il is said, the Cincinnati
magnate squared accounts by having
Lynch keep Ebbets OF the schedule Gem
mittee.
4 haven't a word 10 say" said the
/ Brooklyn magnate after the meeting. Eek
cept that / have been in the schedule
making business for a long time / am
not losing any sleep over Lynch's ap-
| pointment"
It developed that during the star cham
Der session there was a long wrangle
over the umpire question, and that Pres
ident Lynch was ba cked up in his sharp
| criticism of the Philadelphia club owner,
/ who recently accused Umpire Klein of
alleged Partially. In the end Lynch
and his umpires were commended by
the league for their good work last sea-
son, and Lynch was assured that he
would be supported by the majority OF
! the club owners in exercising his future
policy. Lynch was instructed by the
league 20 cast a unanimous vote for Mr..
! Hermann as chairman Of the national