Evening star., 1916-01-23
Chairman With No Alliances.

The new governing body in base ball
be it the national commission or new
organization modelled on the old should
have as its head a man not closely
identified with either major league,
johnson contends. This man should be
one who will be in position to act
lmpartially on all subjects coming be-
fore the governing body For ma jor
league magnate to hold this position
often puts him in an embarrassing
in problem in which he is yitally In
terested.
The commission. then. under the new
plan of reorsaniZat ton. would be COM
posed OF President Tener of the Ma
tional League. President Johnson Of
the American and third person. John
f. Bruce. for instance: or some o:her
Aside from the change of personnel
there probably would be no radical de-
parture from the old code.
The gist of the whole thing is that
the American League wants repre-
sentative governing body for base bail.
Whether this means representative
from the minor leagues and one from
the ball players remains to be worked
out later. 1t does mean that instead of
the National League having two votes
in that body it will have only one in
the future If the American League can
help ii. and there is little doubt that
the National will acquiesce in the new
plan.
1t means that in the future the Amer
lean League wishes TO be in more
advantageous position in case of a
new base ball war. Undoubtedly the
recent war between the Federal Lea que
and organized base ball and certain
features of its settlement are back of
the new move by the American League.
Garry Too Friendly With Feds.
ic
was ,hobnobbing with the Federal
League crowd for more than year
previous to the signing of the peace
pact. While the National League was
in a receptive mood for peace pro-
posals, the American stood firm until
the surrender of the third circuiters
and the generous proposal made pos
sible by the activity of Harry Sinclair,
the oil man.
1t is no specific offense of Hermann
that has angered the powers of the
circuit, but. succession OF
acts inimical to the welfare of the
American League as its magnates see
IT. The American League has learned
its lesson, in other words. and wishes
to guard against a recurrence of sim
liar action by 4 chairman of the gov
erping body in n future war which may
come in ten years. as usual. or at some
OlHeT tflle.
Base ball fans have only TO analyze
the events of the last two years in base
bali to understand the American
Leagues viewooint. When Garry Herr
mann was holding meetings with repre-
of the Federal League
year ago. those meetings We're inter-
preted by many to be stamped with
official sanction and to enanate from
he chairman of the national commis-
sfon. Mr. Hermann. when pinned on
he subject. said he wanted ii under
stood that he WAS not speak king as
chairman of the commission, but as e
nagnate OF major league club A
year later the Feds renewed their
meetings with what they and Federal
-easue writers were eager TO declare
he chairman of the national COM
nj ission.
TO do away with this embarrassing
ttuation in the future. the American
.eague pia MS the busting up of the ma
ional commission as at present con-
tituted. Does any one think for ?
minute that a chairman of base hail
body such as is proposed by
President Johnson would have dared
70 into meetings with Federal leaguetz
II permitted them to visit him for re
'eated conferences on the subject OF
'eace, as did Hermann? Ii is highly
BILE for the simple reason that
he American League would never
ave permitted it.