Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-03
BY J. ED GRILLo.

A Pittsburg writer insinuates that the
American League is nothing more than Il
large syndicate land that a few men are
interested in every club to the extent Of
owning or controlling at least ii per cent
of the stock
He admits that the cry of syndicate has
been raised on several occasions in the
National League, but that he believes
there Is but one instance in existence and
that is the dual ownership of Messrs.
Murphy and Taft in the Chicago and
Philadelphia clubs.
There is nothing to show that syndicate
ball exists in the American League,
though one not familiar with its work
ing might gain the impression that such
was the case because of the great power
that has been placed in Ban Johnson's
hands. There is no doubt that Johnson
mas absolute control of every club i'm the
league to the extent that he holds the
lease to their ball parks. This measure
was adopted years ago as a guarantee of
good faith between the club owners, but
gives Johnson great power in the league
II makes 1t possible for him to govern his
organization with an iron hand and to
this must be attributed the wonderful
growth of the junior major league.
Serving a twenty-year term with every
power that it is possible for the club
govern a s he sees fit and for the best in
terests of those who have their money
invested. 1t is in this that he has it on
the head of the National League, who is
erected from year to year and can there
fore not do much planning ahead. There
IS no doubt that there is just as much diff
terence of opinion on all matters i'm the
american League as in the National, but
han Johnson sees to it that the dirty
linen is not washed before the public a
feat in which the club owners Of the old
league seem to delight. Had the ST. Louis
muddIe last fall when LajOie was pre-
sented with eight base hits happened in
the National League it would probably
american League would have seen to
that But when 1T comes to covering up
its own affairs the American League does
perfect work. The truth of why Hedges
IS getting out of st. Louis has only been
guessed at. but no statements showing
why this was done have been. made, and
yet 1t is dollars to doughnuts that Hedges
was given the office" to take the famous
number.
The National League has always been
outgeneraled by it's rival. Whenever any
thing has happened that had tendency to
put the old league In bad, it has been
seen to that the public was given enough
OF the facts to make it suspicious Not
SO with the American League. For in
stance take the time when Umpires KLEIN
and tombstone of the National League
stan were approached Ey an individual
who offered them bride to let the Giants
win an important game The public was
poured full of all the information in con-
nectiOn with this mess for nearly a year.
Only a little while after this occurrence
s1gnal-tipping bureau was discovered
on the New York American League
threatened. yet not a single New York
paper published a line on the discovery,
and for over year the matter was hushed
up, though the American League did give
cOgnlzance enough to the matter at it's
annual meeting year before last to pass
resolutions generating the New York
club from any connection with the opera
ton Of the device. OF course the finding
or the league was absurd, but it got away
with 1t. Just as soon as the sign-tipping
story was BEGINNING to spread Ban john
son distracted attention frcm 1t by issu-
ing a statement that he had additional
facts in the umpire-bribing scandal in the
National League, though not a word was
heard from him on that subject when he
reached the place of meeting.
The league waited a year to take action
in the sdgn-tipping muddle. When the
public had forgotten all about it George
Stallings was dropped from the manage
ment Of the New York club on the
ground that he could not get along with
his players. That was his punishment for
the part he played in the operation OF
the device. but 1t was done quietly, and
the scandal which would have been pro-
duced had the occurrence been in the old
league was avoided.
tect his league at any sacrifice that the