El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-02

Ev YORK. March 1T seems to
n be hats Off just now to James
4 = A. Gilmore, society and club
man. cotiIlion leader and happy go
lucky. who in a trifle more than two
months has risen from Obscurity in
the sporting world to the biggest
figure il baseball
Gilmore's meteoric rise, in the face
Of seemingly unsurm OuntaDle obstacles
not only has surprised and DeWlIoeIeo
ORGANIZED baseball and the great army
of fans throughput the land, but IT
has amazed his lie long friends IN
Gilmore is little more than a kid"
He's only IS and never until he took
CHARGE Of the FederaTs fight was he
called upon to show the stuff that was
in him-never before had he peen
pitted against real foes who couIo
furnish him a real fight True, ne
made q success in the coal ana 4eI ---.-
Iatiuey business in which he is engaged
in Chicago. but in both these instances
the business came to him without the
necessity Of real ggle-wl tnouL
forcing- Gilmore to call upon his ol-
pIonacy and fighting spirit.
League in Bad Way Last Year
Toward the end of the 1913 season
when the Federal league was IN II
nancial straits, one of the oIIlclaIs o.
the Ieag7le called on Gilmore, explained
that the organization was face I 70 Ls--o
with bankruptcy, but assured GllLHOI o
that if someone could get back OF the
organization, interest capital ana push
things along. the league might amount
to some thing in 1914 ...---
Gilmore studied over the propoSlIOIl-
he has 'been a fan ever since he was a
how. Baseball afforded him one OF ms
greatest baeaSures. But the business
end Of the game was new 70 MIL -
looked the situation over rom eNSL
ct "a advice
his friends who told MIN ne va
crazy to attempt IIghL on LL II
strongly entrenched forces OF paseDall'
he gave his decision
Only Needed Money, He says
s-pII get back Of the Federal league
and make if a success" he said he
got back Of it and pusheo-pusheu 50
hard that he has showed the organlza-
ton to the point where II SlaCAS w
right now as q more Lornl4uaDlS -
Of ORGANIZED baseball than was Ine
American league when II MADE us
ffght on the National, then the base
hall mower. about Is years ago
ct knew that the first thlng Ihe
league needed was men VINO n ~.
MONEY said Gilmore IN teillng lle
story Of the successful fight OF the
ssTbe first man I took my proposition
70 was Charles Weeghman, the chi
ca,go restauranteur- I knew LhaL ne
had tried several times to get hold OF
a minor league franchise put the
proposition UP to him He spent q
long time figuring it out and finally
announced:
IN take the Chicago franchise and
back the league to the limit OF my
stifeI Comes in Too.
ssrThen 7 Jumped over to st. Louis ana
talked to Otto Stifel, the millionaire
brewer. who like Weeghman, was an
ardent fan and who had yearnlngs to
become a magnate. 1 outlined my
plans for the Federal league, told MN
what I expected to do, and then, as
cIincher. 7 told him that Weeghnan
was in with me. That decided sure
and he agreed to take the St LOUIS
franchise
other Rich Men Fail in.
"From there I jumped to Kansas
CITY and when it was learned there
that such good business men as Stl1el
and Weeghman thought the FeoeIdl
proposition good enough to invest IN
I had little trouble in interesting SUI
ffcient capital there 1t was the same
in Indianapolis and in Baltimore Inc
Interesting Of capital in Buffalo and
Pittsburg was not such an easy Ala =
fer but it finally was accomplished
There remained but one more CLUB 70
complete our circuit and listening Io
the Meas of certain interests In Ioron-
to. I decided to award FRANCHISE to
ss8,It I made that decision only be-
cause it seemed that I would fail IN
- -1a0s 10 mt 2. team in New York
[ had secured an option OF grounus
both in Brooklyn and New York CITY
but L couldn't get the necessary back
ssrhe latter part Of January 7 went
to Toronto in an effort to stralghter