Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-02
ASSOCIATION NAME
 LINKED iN FED BALL RuMORs
League CoaTsressass 4aNeAiready Been Held with Certain Managers.

The dope pot has been literally boil ing over in the New England section of the Winter league recently with charges Of disioyaljy among certain club owners, talk Of franchise tranS- fer, territorial shifts and player trade or two with more than ordinary feat uTes. Both the New England league and the Eastern Association share in the outbreak Of news and the fans of both circuits are being given more things to talk about than ordinarily happens in the off season.
 Two things particularly developed at 1 the recent baseball conference in New ] York to stir up con1motiOn- One was the disclosure that Federal league agents, presumably representing the Wards, held a conference CT a series of conferences with several club own CTS from the MuYnane and O'Rourke circuits and made them q. proposition by which they were to throw down or ganizea ball, and enlist with the out laws. They were to so over bag and baggage to the Feds and assist in forming q lew Independent league to be run something after the fashion of the Colonial league this past season. 1t is generally understood the Wards of Brooklyn financed that league, with the understanding that 1t should be a farm for the Federals and that any talent developed Woul6 be de- Hvered to the outIews.
 The thing did not work out as ex- pected Several Of the team managers went into the Colonial believing it was l loyal to Organized ball, since protec- ton had been secured for it under the National agreement. When the at tempt was made to put the Federal league stuff over on them they made a big kick Two or three of them with drew or were busted because they would not consent to the treachery that was planned. The players, too, it is understood. their ground. and the re- suit was that the Colonial, as far as being any help to the Feds is con- Cerned was a failure.
 This being the case. the Federals appear to have gene at it in a new
 Way, seeking to secure club owners who would be ( agreeable to work with
 them and through them form a new circuit. They seem to have made some progress, but somebody let the
 cat out of the bag and q, storm has
 burst about the ears of the blending
 magnates- President O'Rourke and
 Murnane have been asked to conduct
 an investig gatior and the loyal club
 are talking of tossing out the traitors
 if the goods .:an be fastened on them.
 The Federa1S plan on it's face seems
 a foolish one and hardly could have
 succeeded. The NstaonaI commission
 was informed Of Ile situation and is
 understood to have given assurance
 that if any club owners drew out to
 join the outlaws new clubs would be
 financed by the commission, opposition teams put in and the independents given all the fight they wanted.
 Another development Of the New York meeting was due to the efforts of the International league to reform it's circuit. Having some difficulty in
 smoothing the way for Syracuse and
 Richmond to enter, a suggestion was made that Worcester or Lawrence, or
 Hartford, or perhaps other cities in the two Class B leagues in this territory might be secured. or course the cities
 mentioned were fattered at the pros
 pect of being invited to join a Class A A circuit. Their ambitions were stirred and the fans and scribes began to talk of getting into the International
 But the cities in the New England and the New England and the Eastern Association that were not mentioned a possible candidates for Class A ball immediately made a protest It
 was evident at once that they would
 not stand for their circuts being en-
 barrased by the los of their most populous cities. and if the Internation- al nlagnates ever had any serious in
 tentiors of looking in this direction for territory they were quickly brought
 to realize that it was a hopeless case.