Evening star., 1918-07-24
BASE BALL LEADERS PRESENT
BRIEF TO GENERAL cROWDER
Document Which May Determine Fate Of
Game for Remainder Of Season to Be
Transmitted Immediately to Sec
retary Baker for Decision.
By DENMAH THOMPSON.


By DENMAH THOMPSON.
At BIS o'clock this afternoon rep
resentatives Of organized base ball
sppeared before Mai. Gen. Enoch H.
Growder in the office Of the provost
marshal general and presented brief
setting forth reasons why the work
or-fight order as It applies to profess
sional ball players should be modified.
This brief, with the conclusions
reached by Gen. Crowder in regard
thereto. will be transmitted to secre-
tary Baker, who will make the de-,
cision that will result in the continu-
alton of the game or the death Of the
sport for the duration Of the war.
Base balls fate will be known this
evening.
Manager Grifath ana President Minor
OF the Washington club, President
Tener Of the National League and
President Hampstead Of the New York
ernoon. At conference this morning
in the office of President Minor, at
which all Of the above mentioned were
present. in addition to President John
ident Hermann Of the Cincinnati
club. who. with Tener. constitute the
national Commission, and nearly all
the other club owners Of the Ameri-
can and National leagues. the brief
was amplified and made ready for
It 10 said to show conclusively that,
contrary to the impression existing
among high officials Of the War De-
partment. an Immediate going into
effect of the provisions of the work.
or-fght order will deprive the leagues
Of such . large percentage of THAR
players that immediate suspension for
the remainder of the season will be
imperative and that resumption Of
play next season will be made mat
ter OF serious doubt, whereas II the
order 10 not made operative until the
end Of the present season the owners
and the players would be saved
ers Of the sport would be able to
formulate plans to perpetuate It.
The brief setting forth the claims Of
organised base ball is concise. cover
Ing less than four typewritten pages.
1t was presented without comment
or argument from the base ball Of
hcials. except that Chairman Herr
mann Of the national commission and
President Johnson of the American
League each made short oral state
ment In regard to the facts contained
In 1t.
Games Leaders Optimistic.
Base ball leaders here today were
inclined to regard Secretary Bakers
statement on the base ball situation,
issued last evening, as indicating pros
poets are good that modification of the
work flight order will be made, If
good cause for doing SO can be shown,
as they are confident It can. Secretary
Baker said:
II understand the base ball question
is to be argued before Gen. crowder
tomorrow. He is going to have rep
resentatives of the industry before
him, and am going to confer with
him after he gets through. I will
make the decision.
One group wants to have the order
modified so as to provide that 1t shall
not affect anybody automatically, and
that the order shall not apply to a
man until he has been notified by the
local board. and the other group wants
that II shall not go into effect until
the end Of the present season.
'Tn tho opinion which gave out
said that the likelihood was that the
number Of men affected would not be
enough to disorganize the industry.
and understand they are collecting
data az to the number Of men, who
completely disorganize the industry"
The last paragraph of Bakers
statement would seem to justify the
hopefulness Of base balloon that re-
lief from the order may be obtained,
but, on the other hand. another state
ment given out at the War Depart
ment will have the opposite effect.
It was that the officials there have
begun q study of the regulations with
view to amending them to include
which 10 taken to mean that the order
exempting the motion picture indus
try might be revoked.
Rival League Raid Unlikely.
In the event that Secretary Bakers
decision is unfavorable to base ball.
there 10 little doubt but that a meet
ing of the directors of the American
League VIII be held here Immediately
and that II will be voted to at once
disband for the remainder Of the
season.
It is reported the National League
owners are In favor OF playing out
the schedule with the best talent pro-
durable regardless of Secretary Ba-
ker's decision or any action tho Amer
lean League may take.
It ts extremely unlikely that the
National has considered acquiring the
American League players available in
case the latter organisation decides TO
disband. Dispatches from Cleveland
yesterday said this plan had been
hroached among the National League
owners, but this may well be doubted.
Ban johnson Is inclined to regard
the report ~ q Joke. He 10 convinced
that the National League would not
stoop to any such q low trick in order
to finish the season. He realizes that
Walter johnson, Cobb, Speaker, Sisler.
Collins and the other stars would be
wonderful drawing cards In the Ma
tional League, but 10 of the opinion
that the spirit of patriotism and al