The Washington times., 1916-01-24
Manager Griffith Collects Facts
and President Johnson viii
Garry on Negotiations With
Harry Sinclair.
Washington Business Men De-
mand Reserved Seats at
Florida Avenue and Boston
System will Not Come Here.
By LOUIS A. BOUCHER.

BY LOUIS a. DOUN1Gh'
Manager Griffith today is work
ing on his evidence in the Gedeon
case, collecting all his documents
and having them copied. They will
be sent to President Ban johnson,
who will conduct all future negotia-
tions in behalf of the Washington
club with Harry f. Sinclair, the for
mer Federal League "angel."
~ hope to have all my evidence in
this case together in time to send it
to President Johnson tonight or to-
morrow" explains Manager Grif-
fifth. "Then he will take it up with
Sinclair and, if the latter is a square
man, he'll lay off Gedeon, who is the
property of the Washington club in
law. / don't know whether my case
is any good in baseball law or not,
but / know it is ironclad in the
courts"
The old Fox laughs mt the claim OF
he Philadelphia National League club.
Il
'ecause he accepted their terms be
ore signing with the Feds" II at
hat time Gedeon belonged to the Wash
nEton club, as Grlff maintains, he
ould not sign either with the Philles
Ir the Feds.
The reduction in prices in Boston by
President Lannin is found to be largely
a local matter. Lannin has surrendered
TO the complaints of the fans, who kick
ed loudly against the methods in vogue
there. 1t is said that the entire stand
last season would be sold at IS cents
whenever a tailcnder appeared at Fen
way Park, but that topnotch team fire,
quently sent the reserved rows up to
twenty. An ordinary team would play be.
fore, say, ten rows of reserved seats
The fans kicked at this, and to mollify
them Lannin has cut out all reserved
seats in the stand and lowered the
prices of the boxes.
This reduction OF prices will hardly
affect the Red. SoX treasury much. II
the first place the boxes are far more
numerous than at any other park in the
from the diamond A fan here sitttinl
in the fourth row, Il 75-cent seat, hai
a better view of the game than a far
in Boston sitting in a box, paying &
dollar for the seat.
ut may be all right lior Lsnnin to dc
away with reserved seats in his stand,
explained Manager Griffith today, wheI
asked II the local club would follow
suit, "but we couldn't do 1t and satisf!
our patrons. Washington business meI
won't stand in line before the tiCke
booths, Those in Eoston will. At ftrs
we reserved five rows. When we sew
that not enough fans came out 10 war
rant that number az rows Of reservcc
seems to be satisfactory All we wan
10 do Is to satisfy cur patrons, y ma
Jority OF whom are fair aud square II
their dealings with us.
"As q matter ot fact. our 15.cCn
seats arc much to be preferred TO thos,
in Boston or Chicago. In both thos,
cities the fans in the dollar seats ar,
not so close to the diamond.
eve were considering putting back
on our .6G-ccnt seats. hut when th
architects cyamined the >paviliCns the!
decided that there would not be room
enough. We'd have 10 tear down bot
pavillons and build them over again:
guess the fans know well enough tha
after our last two years OF bascbrl
war, we cannot do that now. HowCVC:
that's our intention and I hope TO &c
1t done as early as next year.
held in New York today. The NOR
important is the gathering of the Inter
national League magnates to arrang
their circuit for 1916. to announce neV
owners, and to select new managers
Jack Dunn, last years Richmond mag
nate and manager. will take over tn
Jersey city franchise and receive per
mission to occupy the Baltimore terri
tory. the Harrisburg, Pa, club wi
be shifted back to Newark, and
would not be surprising If Joe Ian
min. owner OF the worlds champion!
,.,.'S his interest in tho Providence Ciu,
The other baseball meeting will d
that of the merger committee OF tn
New England League and Eastern AS
sociation. This committee is compose
OF President Edward c. Barrow, OF TN
International League; President Time
thy IL. Murnane, of the New Englan,
League; and Secretary John IL. Farrell
of the National Association of MinO
Leagues.
The Eastern Association, made up {
Connecticut and Massachusetts citieI
which failed to operate last season, ma
a plan FOR siX-club circuit and wi
suggest this proposition to the comml
tee today Cities of the New Englan
League. however. want TO merge wit
the best of the clubs of the other leagu
and form a ten-cluh circuit. This pia
seems to have. met with the approTi
OF most OF the baseball owners through
out New England, and II is probab
that the scheme viii be adopted.
-
Herman Schaefer. former comedia
with the Grifmen, has been appointe
third assistant to Smiling" Bill Dont
van, and will accompany the pitcher
ordered to report at Macon, Ca, G
February %. Duke Farrell Is sccor
assistant, and Joe Kelly holds the MOI
- Of FIRST assistant TO Manager Dom