Evening star., 1915-01-24
Trial Well Attended.

CLOSING day OF the trial was one OF
the best attended and most intense of
the four. and when the close came,
long after suppertime. the courtroom
still was well filled with fans. some of
whom had listened 10 the proceedings
from start to finish.
The attorneys for the Federal League
had the floor all day, and they made
the most OF it. T.. f. Gates of Indian
apolis, general counsel for the independ-
ent league, proved TO be as impressive
a talker as his adversaries, and several
times he brought out strong points to
prove that his clients were deserving of
the restraining order to save themselves
from an octopus, he characterized
organized base ball, which was fastening
It's tentscles on the oppressed Feds and
sitting the business of the plaintiff.
Gates speech was long and complete.
He took up all the arguments brought by
Attorneys Pepper and Miller of the de-
fense. and stripped them OF their '.honeyed
words" then showed them to the court
ill their true light. he termed it.
He worked for two hours on the point of
clean hands, and wound up with an as
sertion that the Federal League actually
wished to purify the game of base ball.
An attack OH President johnson of the
American League featured the critical ef-
fort 1t was done to show the persecution
the Feds had undergone 10y the powers of
organized ball, and relief from which
they now were asking before mis- honor.
various interviews given out by
Johnson III the course of the base ball
war furnished the Feds attorney with
ammunition. F'irst he took up the
statements issued by the American
League czar when the independents
hrst filed their plea for the disSoIving
Of organized base ball. Gates asserted
that johnson declared he was afraid
the Federal League wouldn't last long
enough to have the case come to trial
Scores Ban johnson.
But you see we're here" was the way
Gates closed that part OF his talk.
Continuing his attack on johnson.
,iates recalled some of the stateme nts
credited to Ban last spring. when prac-
tically all the notables of base ball
were in New York waiting to welcome
home the Coniskey- -McGraw group of
world tourists. lie declared that John
son gave an interview TO some fifteen
New York reporters. in which he as
serted the Federal League had no
parks at that time and never would
start the season. This statement was
cited In the affidavit filed by President
Gilmore of the Federal League Cafes
declared johnson knew the InfoIma :
tion was false when he gave it out
All the Gotham papers quoted john
sons views On the day the tourists
Gates, Ban timed his remarks so that
they would appear just at the time
when they might have most weight
with the ball players who made the
tour. many of whom were free at that
time to sign with any club they pleased
Gates read from many afiidavits and
cited many instances of alleged con-
spiracy on the part of the defendants
10 harass the plaintiff and claimed
that the defendants have given evil
dence of plan to oppose letting this
court decide all the base bali cases
now pending in the court.
They want said Gates, TO be free
10 ask iEjunctions against PLAYERS who
have come to US from them, in any
court i'll any part Of the country. and
thus keep those players tied UP by law
suits most of the time SO we and the
public cannot have the benefit of their
services. They want that. though they
haven't a legal right to any of them
The Federal League has adhered strict
ly to its policy of not taking any
player legally bound to a club in or
ganized base ball. Some of their pIav-
have come to him seeking to Join us
but when he learned they were bound
by contracts which were legal he
turned them away.
In taking up the allegations of tie de.
PENDANTS that the Feds had sought peace
Mr.. Gates thrashed the whole thing ou
CONTINUED on Second PaSe.y