The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-03-08
Men OF MILLIONS
NOW in BASEBALL
New Owners Gan Spend For
tune Without a Whimper.
HAVE MONEY TO BURN.
Men Who Have Just Bought Their
Way Into the Big Leagues Are Kind
Who Will Part With Money Freely
TO Give Fans Best Brand of Ball.

The announcement made by Charles
Weeghman that among his partners
in the recently purchased and reorgan-
lied Chicago National league baseball
club are J, ogden Armour and William
Wrfgley, Jr., in addition to one or two
other unnamed business men of great
wealth, calls attention to the entry of
fresh millions of backing into the big
leagues within the past year
-Four major league clubs have chang
ed ownership in a little more than
twelve months, and in every case the
buyers are men who have made large
fortunes in other lines of business and
TO whom baseball will always be more
of sport than a dollars and cents
proposition. Yet these men have either
made millions or increased fortunes
lett TO them by ancestors through
shrewd business ability and up to date
efficiency, and they will naturally ex-
pect that any BAH club in which they
have money invested will be conduct
ed along the same lines
1t only requires a cursory glance at
the list of the new club owners and the
money they have invested and repre-
sent TO realize that a new era is dawn
ing in big league baseball. A li~le
more than a year ago Colonel Jacob
RUPERT, Jr., and II. l.. Huston paid
about $4,000 for the New York Amer
lean league club. The combined wealth
of these two men is over $50, 100000
and they have already demonstrated
that they are willing to spend money
TO secure proper diamond talent, as the
recent purchase Of Lee Magee at over
$4,000 proves.
Following the peace agreement be-
tween organized and independent base
BAN the Chicago Nationals and the
st. Louis Americans changed hands.
Weeghman was the moving figure in
the purchase of the Cubs, and it now
develops that Armour, Wrigley and
possibly one other capitalist are among
the stockholders. Close to 100000 was
paid for the Cubs, and the combined
financial resources of the new owners
is easily S7J,OOO,OOO. SO it can be seen
that the Cubs viii have excellent back
ing in the future
Phil Ball. Otto Stifel and J. W. Gar
neau We're the announced purchasers
of the ST. Louis Americans, and the
price was given out as S525OO0. At
least one of the trio is understood to
have the backing of a millionaire SO
that it is safe to set down the rating
OF the new owners as close to $1,000
600. The sale of the Boston Nationals
to Percy d. Haughton, Arthur C. Wise
and others for about 100000 brings
another group Of capitalists and keen
business men into baseball with re-
sources placed at close to $30,O0000O.
Negotiations for the change of own
ership Of two other big league clubs
have been under way for some time,
and, while the outcome is problemat-
ical, both the New York Nationals and
Cleveland Americans may have new
hackers before the 1916 pennant sea
son opens. The Cleveland club is I'M
dergoing financial reconstruction and
Is on the market, but to date the price
set Is considered too high by prospec-
tive investors. President Harry Hemp
stead of the New York Giants has set
price for the sale of the club, but al
most S250,O00 separates owners and
bidders at this time.