Evening star., 1915-02-12
FEDERAL LEAGUE REPORTED
GOING BACK ON ITS FRIENDS
"I1olier Than Thou" Crowd Shows Human
Traits of Selfshness and Ingratitude,
Harry Nelly Declares.

sistance. and stovall is the class Of the
Federal League at first. He always has
hit around $50, and he can field as
good anybody.
Stovall may not like that idea. What
then? Well, he is said to have a ten
day release clause in his contract If
he doesn't want to take orders from
Lee Magee, you can frame your own
answer. The Feds are awfully good to
the people who put them on the map.
Ask Mordecai Brown and James T.
Powers.
In spite of our intimate relations. aft
er l left the Kansas City club 1 have
had no communication with Stovall lest
it might be said that he was tipping
me off, to stuff. l cannot say positive
ly If the stuff Is on, but from deduction
sharpened by sixteen years In the most
discriminating business in the world,
I'm willing to predict that they slip
George the rough stuff soon.
To those who followed the Federal
League in its infancy as l did-being
closely allied with Walter Frttsch, Otto
Stifel and others interested in the ST.
Louis club, the way of doing things
was startling, to say the least.
All during the autumn of 1913 there
was some discussion If the Feds would
start in 1914. Finally there was a
made about Weeghman calling for a
showdown" He who had not invested
nickel up to that time demanded that
Stifel and associates SHOW" They did
producing a bank roll that would
choke an OK.
Soon after l was called into a con-
ference in st. Louis between Madison
of Kansas City. Vincent OFlaherty,
Fritsch and others. Stovall was there.
Finally he agreed to go to Kansas CITY
He was the first major league player of
note to desert organized base ball.
Tinker was at the draft meeting in
Cincinnati prior to that time and fused
around a lot. He decided to go with
the Feds. Immediately after the paid
press agents got busy and Tinker was
hailed "as the first ball player of note"
to jump and as the man who made
the Federal League. Stovall was
omitted.
Kind Words for stovall.
We regret that Stovall should be
made the victim of this sort of thing,
for he is a prince of good fellows on
and off the ball field. Charles Somers
passed him up In Cleveland after he
had made a great showing with the
Maps because Somers had made an
agreement with Harry Davis prior to
the time Stovall took his club. Then
he got in bad at st. Louis because he
was of one school of base ball and
Branch Hickey another. Stovall and
hickey would have made a great pair.
but each was ''sot in his way" as the
farmers say and each was too stubborn
to give in. r. L. Hedges decided he
would retain Hickey and there was
nothing left for Stovall to do but get
out.
He got out and was of Invaluable
service to the Feds. and welded
greater influence with ball players than
any other man connected with the
Federal League. If it were fair to play
ers who contemplated jumping 1 might
cite dozens of instances where other
Federal managers tried to do business
with players in organized base ball and
failed-only to have Stovall get busy
and interest these same men.
But that's neither here nor there in
the Federal League situation. 1t seems
as if Stovall is due for a slide. and ii
they depose him the Federal League
officials have been guilty of the basest
nSratitude.
Federal League stock, by the way,
remains plentiful and hard to shake.
Two weeks ago we offered ours through
an excellent medium. but as yet no
anxious persons have burst forth in
their mad desires to become magnates.