Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-25

IN the following statement issued
] late last night. eX-President w. H.
| Taft, to all intents ana purposes aC-
! cepted the job of ruling arblter IN
| organized baseball:
! Mr.. Hampstead and Mr.. Frazee
called on me Saturday to ask If l
would consider acting as arbitrator
| between the National and American
| leagues, in matters involving the le-
| gal construction of contracts between
! the leagues and their application TO
! transactions between them as they
might arise. l said to them that l
] did not practice law as an advocate
| in courts. but that l had acted as
arbitrator in several cases.
"I said that If they would write me
| a description of the kind of arbitra-
tion in which they wished me to act
and the particular function they
wished me to perform, would con-
slider ii and advise them. l could not
act except as judge OF law ana ,l,,, Iact,
or any way take part in management
of their associations. 1t must be work
of strictly legal. professional char
acter.
suit my. brother, Charles Taft, to be
assured by him that he had parted
with all interest in baseball proper'
ties, so that should 1 become arbitra-
tor no question could arise as to my
impartiality between parties contend
ing before me.
ton Red SoX, who, with Harry N.
Hampstead, of the New York Giants.
first made the proposition to Mr.. tart
said last night: I'VE have firm hopes
he will accept. He is very fond of
baseball. in fact, he loves 1t, and he
intimated that IT, the American pub
lie showed any genuine desire for
him to act as a national commission
he might he able to see his way clear
to accept the offer
to the fact that the position would
not be arduous, and that 1t perhaps
would take no more of his time than
thyee hours a week, and would in ro
way interfere with his lectures at
Yale. While the mode of operating
the Natiopal Commission would be
left entirely to Mr.. Taft, it would be
suggested to him that he maintain an
office in New York, with an office
force capable of running the routine
business of the National Commission.
This force could place the important
cases before the former President.
It also was suggested to Mr.. Taft
that instead of the presidents OF the
National and American leagues being
members of the commission as hereto
fore, they would act as counsel Tor
their respective leagues and place the
viewpoints and claims of their leagues
and club owners before Mr.. Taft.
Inc only tHlnB lndl Is ldthlh6 ' 10
the authority by which Hampstead
It Frazee made the offer to Mr.. Taft.
In a Joint statement issued last night,
Hampstead and Frazee say they made
the proposition to Mr.. Taft after con-
ference with several club owners of
both leagues. Hempsteady said he had
conferred with Eastern club owners of
the National League, but did not get
an opportunity of seeing those in the
West
Wonderful Thing Fer Baseball
In discussing this angle Frazee said:
"If we could induce Mr.. Taft to accept
this position il would be such Won
derful thing for baseball that all club
owners, of course, would be only too
pleased to sanction our action. 1t
would be the greatest thing that ever
happened to baseball and would give
the sport prestige such as 1t never
enioved 1t Is inconceivable that any
one would oppose it."
There is no question that Frazee's
remarks on the benefits that Profess
sor Taft would bring to baseball are
perfectly sound and true: but 1t would
appear that Free, Hampstead and
club owners backing them are trying
to swing n baseball coup d'etat that
would force the old National Commits
sion out of existence.
While Frazee would not be pinned
down to q direct answer as to whether
President Johnson. of the American