Evening star., 1918-02-11
PROBLEM IS FACED
BY INTERNATIONAL
Question of Resuming Opera
tions or Suspending Before
the Magnates Today.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

The magnates of the International
League, in session in New York today.
face a difficult problem. The question
of whether to suspend for the duration
of the war is the principal business on
the calendar and is one that will call
for serious consideration.
Without question a majority of the
moguls want to quit. For several
years they have played a losing game,
have seen their bankrolls depleted
more and more each season, but always
hanging on with the expectation that
conditions would improve and enable
them to recoup their losses The out
look this year for profit is far from
| bright. and nearly all would welcome
the chance to avoid sending good
money after bad and remain out of the
game until such time as more normal
conditions prevail. But to do so would
necessitate relinquishng their terri
tory and losing title to their players.
This they naturally are loath to do.
They do not relish the prospect of re-
lnquishing the chance to make up their
losses in the future by having men
with more financial courag obtain
their property at no initial cost and
run it at a loss for a season or two un-
til the era dawns when magnate may
be reasonably sure of a fair return on
his investment. Hence the quandary in
which they now find themselves.
OF the eight clubs comprising the cir
cult last year two, Montreal and Rich
mond, are avowedly anxious to quit, but
the owners of the latter club are not
willing to simply throw up the sponge
and shoulder their losses. They want to
be paid for their franchise. OF the
other six clubs only two-Baltimore and
Toronto-have unqualifiedly gone on
record as anxious to continue, the other
four being in a state of indecision that
leans more toward saving what they
can from the wreck of their treasures
than suffering additional losses with
only an outside chance of breaking
even.
magnates have been guilty of was the
knockout they handed to President Ed
Barrow last December in the shape of
$4,000 salary slash. This action was
regarded punishment for Barrow's
attempt to amalgamate the strongest
of the International clubs with those of
the American Association for the forma-
tion of new circuit, but this rebuke
will act in the nature of a boomerang,
for Barrow possesses executive ability
in an unusual degree and the Inter
national never needed him more than at
the present time.
Billy Smith. former manager of the
Richmond club of the International
League. and now business manager of
the Atlanta Southern Association, team,
was in Washington yesterday on his
way to New York. He is anxious to cor
raj two or three promising players.
but was informed that the local club
was not in a position to help him out.
John Bruce. secretary of the national
commission, was another visitor yes
terday. Bruce is an old friend of
Griffs. and last night accompanied the
local manager to the Tabernacle to hear
Billy Sunday. whom both haves known
for years.
Today Mike Kahoe former scout of
the Washington club. and now chief
ivory hunter Of the Boston Braves.
dropped in to see the local pilot. There
was no significance to kahoe's visit. ac-
cordingo to Griff. although it brought to
mind the report that John Henry is to
go to Stallingu' team.