The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-04
BRUSH AND JOHNSON EXCHANGE LETTERS Investigation of the Ticket
 Scalping Scandle
 BRUSH IS WILLING
Apparently MT. Johnson Has Lost Sight of Scandle in League and
 Is Bending His Efforts Toward His Neighb0rs

Chicago, November 3.-President
 John T. Brush of the New York Na- tfona1 league baseball club tonight gave out copies of very pointed lot ters he had exchanged with B. 5. John son president of the American league relative to the alleged scalping of tick cts to the worlds series of ball games and relating to the alleged culpability of the New York league team in the matter
 President Johnsons letter to MT. Brush, which was an answer to com municat ton demanding an investigation of rumors of collusion between the New York club and the scalpers, Is as fol- lows:
 "When the subject of handling tho worlds series this fall confronted the commission l suggested that the sale of tickets be placed In the control of the officials of the two contesting clubs If anything went amiss thty would be held accountable. This posi- ton was taken for the reason that l thought the clubs were better inform ed and equipped to meet local condi- tions and could cater chiefly to those who had been their main support dur ing the regular championship season.
 When I arrived in New York the night preceding the day for the open ing game of the series l was confront ed by members of the press who de- manded to know what action would be taken by the commission relative to the ticket scalping scandal. At that time I had no information that there had been any trouble over the sale of the tickets to the worlds series.
 "In the few succeeding days, from Information brought me, I was firmly led to believe the leading ticket brokers of New York were abundantly provided with tickets and in consecutive se,- tional numbers.
 .sIt seemed to me this condition could not have happened unless thero was collusion between some one in the office and the scalper.
 "The demand for tickets in New York was sufficient to have sold the ca pacity of the whole grounds for the three games. It is a matter of rec ord that the management of the New York club turned back as unsold for the second and third games between 1000 and 15Oo tickets What steps were taken by the New York club to
 notify the public that these tickets still were on sale? The press an nounced that all the reserve seat tick cts for the series had been sold
 S'"A number of leading New York pa pers insist that there should be an investigation. It appears to me you are most vitally interested in this mat
 ter and should court an inquiry. Il there has been any wrongdoing, some one in your employ has been culpab ble and it deyolves upon you to investl gate.
 The national commission probably would have much difficulty in getting at the facts. Our chief aim is to pro- tect the public from graft and we should work together for that pur- pose. Respectfully.
 B. B. JOHNSON" To this MT. Brush today replied. Tn this. my reply to yours of No vember l, I do not wish for an in- stant to lose sight of the main and only issuE which is that the newspa- per articles credited to you are nor denied by us, state that you would have investigated the ticket scandal if you had the consent of Messrs. Herr man and Lynch, wherein it was charged that some one in the New York clubs service handed out to the ticket spec uator 5000 or 5000 tickets at an ad- vance of s1 each and that I notify you in my letter of October 2S that you need not wait one minute for the con sent of Messrs Herman and Lyncn but that you could begin an investiga- ton at once and have the full co-oper ation of every employe of the New York club to aid you in your work You have information I do not pos sess, which gives you an advantage l in developing the facts To ask the New York club to investigate itself and sit in judgment as judge and jury upon it's own case would be like asking the national commission to investigate l it's own failure to suppress the inequity of ticket scalping in New York and Philadelphia if it knew how and had l the power and knew that the evil wss being done.
 Tn saying this no offense to the ma. tional commission is intended. Respect fully JOHN T. BRUSH