The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-17
FRAzEE MADE HOT REPLY TO JOHNSON Red Sox Owner Declares He is the Object of 8 War of
 Determination. DEMANDS HIS OWN PRICE Boston Syndicate Had Made Good Offer and He is
 Willing to Sell.

1 The verbal combat between Presi- dent Harry H. Frazee of the Boston Red Sox and Ban Johnson, the head of the American League, was resumed when MT. Frazee got back to New York yesterday afternoon. It seems that jus" as soon as F'razee left Chi cago, Johnson announced that Frazee would be compelled to get rid of the club because of the gambling which 1 is alleged to have. taken place at Fen way Park last summer.
 | When Frazee read Johnson's state ment yesterday, the result was much the same as touching a match to a keg of gunpowder. Frazee delivered strong tirade against Johnson, dur ing which he said that the only way he could be driven out of baseball was for Johnson to pay him the price he asked for his club.
 l F'raZee said that a Boston syndicate had made him a good offer for his club and he was willing to sell. John son sent a representative to him in Chicago and asked him for @ price on his baseball property and F'razee said he quoted the same price offered by the Boston syndicate.
 
 Frazee said: "It has seemed a war
 of extermination on the part of MT.
 Johnson ever since I bought the Bos-
 ton American League club. The
 statements which MT. Johnson has
 made that he would drive me out of
 baseball are too ridiculous to dignify
 with an answer. I had the courtesy
 the first opportunity to purchase the
 club to any prospective buyer MT.
 Johnson might have had"
 "If MT. Johnson has been quoted
 correctly in quoting a section of
 the league constitution relating to r gambling in baseball parks, he has
 placed himself in laughable posi-
 ton. Why, he allowed the constitu- ton of the American League to be
 absolutely disregarded and torn to pieces by the Cleveland club in their refusal to play scheduled games in St. Louis on Labor Day. The excuse of- fered in defense of this action was too
 silly to discuss.
 q cannot understand how a man in
 Johnson's position, who is paid a sal
 ary to protect the interests of the
 league, can make such a statement as
 this last one. It looks as if it was just
 to vent his spite toward me, simply because I insist on managing my own \ business, in which my money is in- vested, without being dictated to by
 MT. Johnson.
 "The Boston public has been loya to me and to the Red Sox. and I dc . not intend to allow the Boston clut to be used as a target by MT. Johnson . simply because I cannot admit that , have the same opinion of his wonder full abilities as he has himself. MT Comiskey and other owners in tn league have the same feeling abou managing their own affairs as I have s but MT. Johnson seems to pick me ou J. as his particular target" T. "At the meeting in Chicago" con j. tinued MT. Frazee, "Mr Johnson wa Il very careful to avoid any argumer
 with me-"
 e Mir. Frazee stated that both he an Is President Comiskey of the White So l. voted against the resolution of con SC fidence which the league passed fo e August Hermann as Chairman of tn e- National Commission. MT. Frazee say S. that they voted against Hermann nc l. for any personal reasons, but becaus n they were in favor of one-man com m mission.
 4 Frazee says that he did everythin l. in his power to stamp out the bettin .s evil at the Boston baseball park. "A l. to the gambling situation in Boston, said MT Frazee, q regret to say tha = the evil exists in other baseball park
 have done everything possible. | III curb 1t. I have had several gambler IS arrested, and several others have bee
 barred from Fenway park. have en ie ployed detectives, and the Boston DC os lice have lent great assistance So di IS MT. Pelletier, the Boston District A 'h torney. We have all tried to stam le out this evil, which I consider a me1 le ace to the great national game. n. ''It is too bad,'' said Frazee in COT to clusion, that MT. Johnson could nt n- be as militant toward me when I WE lk in Chicago as he is now when thel ,n are a thousand miles between us"