The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15
BAN DECLARES WAR ON MURPHY:
WILL GO LIMIT TO ELIMINATE HIM
League Has Declared
Cub Will Stop Nothing
Harmful to Baseball Than Dpoang Of

Chicago, February 14.-"The Amer
lean league has declared war" said
Ban b. Johnson today. eve will stop
at nothing to eliminate the present
management of the Chicago National
league club from organized baseball.
1t is, to my mind essential that Pres
idents Tener of the National league and
Hermann of the national commission
be clothed with absolute authority to
remove from the National league any
club owner held to be a detriment to
the game"
Johnson. reused by Charles w. MUIR
phys threat to take legal action
against him, today broke the silence
he has maintained since the joint league
conference in New York and outlined
his plan to maintain between the
major leagues the good understanding
which, he asserted was menaced by the
present conduct of the owner of the
Cubs. The American league, he inti-
| mated, was prepared to go the length
of changing the national agreement or
of favoring the formation of another
major league.
Has Absolute Power
| "I am clothed with absolute power
| by the American league to remove any
club owner who Is regarded as a det-
riment to the Organization" declared
johnson. The heads of the National
league should have the same power
At my meeting in New York with Mr..
| Tener Mr.. Hermann, Mr. Baker, Mr..
preyfuss and three or four others l
| told them that if the National league
could not control this discordant ele-
ment here in Chicago that the Amer
lean league would no longer be able
| to dovetail with their organization. 1
| told them that Tener and Hermann
should have the power that l have--to
remove any club owner who was a
menace to the game. There will be no
backward step on the part of the
American league. We are prepared to
60 to any length to get rid of this
influence in Chicago.
| 1--WE had four hours session" ="
johnson added, land at its conclusion
| | understood the National league own
, crs would go into executive session and
take action in connection with~the sit
lation as 1 presented it to them. Sec
retary John Hedyler of the National
lea gue promised to send me copy OF
the record OF whatever was done, for
my information"
| Johnson said the entire baseball
world was indignant that Evers should
be dropped few days before the team
started on it's training trip.
| Nothing could be more harmful tc
baseball" he declared. "Evers had just
been sent south to look over training
quarters, and had been commissioned tc
sign number of players; men whose sig
natures L doubt Murphy could have OBJ
tanned without the aid of Evers Their
he was dropped at a few days notice
when he thought in perfect good faitr
that he had a five-year contract. OF
course Evers was dropped in accordance
with the provisions of his contract, ano
he should have known what he was sign.
ing before he signed it. But We don't
want that sort of thing in baseball. We
want perfect confidence between players
owners and the public.
| Billy Locke witnessed the signatures
to Evers' contract, and he came TO mt
afterward and said that Evers was stand
ing over a trap door and didn't know it
Tn. side agreement attached to the con
tract provide that Evers might b.
dropped at 10-days notice. but Ever
signed without reading it. We can
afford to betray the confidence of a bal
player in that manner.
A Big Issue
: This is the big issue in baseball now
and not the Federal league l think tn,
| Federal league comes to us now as
blessing in disguise The american 1eagu
has. set out to see this matter through