Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-05
VIRGINIA LEAGUERS
Factions Are Still at Dagger's
Point Over Recent Election.
MAY GO TO STATE COURTS
Should Norfolk Join New Organize
ton Situation May
Clarity.

Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
LYNCHBURG, Va, February 5.-The
interests In what is left Of the old Viz
ginia League are making all sorts of
threats as to what they are going
to do to get back what they lost
by defytng the national board OF
arbitration here last week, when they re-
! fused point black to obey the mandate of
the board. The board. it will be recalled.
held that no election had been held for
| president in the league, but the Williams
faction in the meeting here overruled
that mandate and held that there had
been an election and refused to allow the
| matter to come to a vote. When, let 1t
be remembered, the anti Williams faction
moved to dispense with the regular order
and go into an election Of officers the
point Of order was made that the motion
was out Of order because the election had
already been held at Petersburg January
Is. when three teams were represented.
President Williams sustained the point
and upon an appeal was sustained by a
vote Of 3 to-
The whole issue was that the williams
faction refused to comply with the order
OF the national board, and right at that
point Is where the representative of the
board, DR.. F. r. Carson, president Of the
Central League and memJer Of the
board from the B class leagues, deserted
the Williams faction. Just now the claim
can be made that DR.. Carson was i'm
partial to the other faction before this
rupture Is hard to understand. Certain
~ it could not be substantially. as would
be testified to by every fair minded man
who heard his address to the magnates
Just before the session turned down the
order OF the board and refused to go into
an election.
Here was an unheard-of situation in
base ball. For months three teams had
been fighting President Williams and
three had been for him The board was
for harmony, and made every effort to
get 1t. The anti-Williams faction refused
to hear to the reelection Of Mr.. VIII
liams. and this, it would seem. was suffi-
Gent for some authority to step in. Under
the constitution, which has never been
submitted to the national board for ra.i-
1cation, Williams would have been presi-
dent for another season. in case the tie
continued, and that was inevitable. This.
it Is known the board recognized, would
be detrimental to the interests of the
game. Last year President Williams had
trouble enough without having to go
through season with half Of his circuit
fighting him openly. This. therefore, is
the reason for the national board show
Ing Its strong hand in the fight.
The case was one that demanded dras-
tic. treatment. Small doses were not In
order, but great big ones that would get
results finally and In a hurry. The board
then proceeded to carry out the, line OF
procedure that must have been deciled
upon before Dr.. Carson came to LYNCH
burg. Not an inkhns- OF this. howe or,
liams element refused to obey the man
date of the national board. The Roa-
noke. Petersburg and Norfolk teams
placed themselves squarely outside Of the
pale Of protection when the order to
proceed to an election was defied,
Then came the recess, which was Sc
cured with the consent of the opposition
to the national board, and the representa-
tives OF Lynchburg. Richmond and Dan
Vile retired. During the next hour
these teams wired their designations as
members Of the Virginia League to Sec
rotary Farrell. This was followed up
with an application for protection for
t the virginia 81 League Association with
Vile. Newport News. Portsmouth and
Suffolk. About the same time DR.. Car
son made lengthy telegraphic report Of
the stand taken by the Williams element
tons. In this report he advised Score
tary Farrell that he had seen the tele-
grams as to the new league and he
recommended favorable action at the
hand Of the board.
Now, this sums up the fight from the
time the magnates reached here until
the two factions got together and adj
journed sine uie. the frills in the con-
ferences and factional meetings being,
of course, eliminated. 1t was plain
case Of a faction absolutely disregarding
from the governing power
of the national association. one Of the
parties to the national agreement. What
other course was left to LIZ. Carson. the
representative OF the board. than the one
he took?
The threat Of President Williams and
his hackers to take the matter to the na-
tional commission Is about as laughahle
as some other situations these genfiemen
found themselves piloted to when they
were refusing to do what they were or.
dered to do by the board. What sort
Of standing will three teams or a whole
league have before the national commits
sion when 1t Is appealing from q condi-
ton that Is the direct result Of an open
def by themselves Of an order from the |
national board? A simple report Of this
condition from Secretary Farrell, to-
gether with DR.. Carson's full report |
Vof IN hs.1 40,