The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-05
BASEBALL SURE
 TO BE BACK IN IN SPRING
Gen. March Informs Ban John son That Game Is
 Desirable.

The positive assurance that major league baseball would be resumed next spring was made in Chicago yes terday by President Ban Johnson of the American League after he had received letter from General March, Chief of Staff. The representative of the War Department informed John son that there was no reason why the game should not be resumed in ac- cordance with the regular schedules.
 In giving his approval for resuming the game next season, General March gave professional baseball a high recommendation and said, among other things: The wholesome effect of clean and honest game like base ball is very marked and its discontinu- ance would be a great misfortune" It is believed that all the players ,, who are now in the service will be l discharged from the army before it Is i time for the spring training trips. Among these are Benny Kauff, Ty l Cobb, Alexander, Hank Gowdy, and many others.
 ]. The official stamp on the game by 1 General March means that both major | leagues will go ahead and reorganize | their forces next week at the annual meetings. The National League will meet on Tuesday and the American League will meet in Chicago on Thursday. President Johnson said l yesterday that he did not believe the National and American Leagues will hold a joint meeting, although such a conference had been requested by the National League.
 Johnson said, however, that com- mlttees representing both leagues, to- l gether with a committee from the minor leagues will get together soon after the meetings of the major leagues. This meeting will probably be held in this city. There are many important questions between the min ors and majors to be settled and it Ia
 believed that all differences will be satisfactorily adjusted.
 The National League will have sev-
 eral imporant problems of its own to
 settle, among them being the read
 Justment of the affairs of the Boston
 and St. Louis clubs. New Presidents
 Will be in charge of these clubs next
 season, it now seems certain James
 E. Gaffney, the former owner of the
 Braves, will no doubt take the club
 back. Just what the situation in St.
 Louis develops is not known, but there
 is little chance of that club being
 transferred to Kansas City. Minor
 league ball in that city last year did
 not pay.
 President Johnson said yesterday in , announcing the letter from General
 March: "The War Department closed
 baseball last September, by declaring
 1t non-e essential, and it was only prop-
 CT that the department should be con-
 suited in regard to our plans for re- opening. Consequently I put the en- tire situation before General March for his approval"
 The reply of General March tc Johnson was as follows:
 , l have your letter of Nov. 30, con. | corning the resumption of baseball next year, and would advise you that ; the War Department, under present , conditions, sees no reason why the } game should not be resumed in ac. l cordance with the usual regular l schedule. It is our policy to muster r out of service as rapidly as possible
 all the men now in the United States
 who number some 100000, and we , are returning from abroad for the l purpose of discharge a number of mer f which is only limited by the shippine , at our disposal.
 Unless there are some changes ir s the situation, which now seem i'm . possible, there is no reason known tC f us why the great national game should not be continued as usual next year n The wholesome effect of a clean ant n honest game like baseball is yer, marked and its discontinuance woult a be a great misfortune