The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-14
Branch Rickey Stirs Up
 The Baseball Owners
Brings Charges Against
 Owner of Cubs-No Ac- tion Taken on the Spit
 Ball.

New York, Feb 14-Before moving New Yorks big baseball show from ! the Waldorf to the Walcott the Ma i tional League went on record yester- day as condemning the practice of certain club owners in announcing that they have intentions of buying , certain star players from certain other clubs.
 This, of course, was aimed at ; Charles F. Weeghman. president ot the Chicago club, for his alleged an- [ nouncement in the case of Rogers | Hornsby, the star shortstop of the St. Louis Cardinals.
 The meeting was just a dear old afternoon tea until just before ad- ' Journment, when Branch Hickey, the new president of the St. Louis club, made his protest. He complained right out loud that the officials of the Chicago club had used unsportsman- like and unethical methods in giving to the newspapers announcements that Weeghman was willing to pay great sums of money for Hornsby, to the great damage and injury of the St. Louis organization.
 Mir Hickey was very much in earn est and he put the feEvid language over faster than he ever shot the pill from home to second up on the Hill. top.
 Then up spake Walter Craighead, who represented the Chicago club in the absence of Mr Weeghman, who is i'll, and entered a general denial.
 MT. Weeghman had not given the story to the papers that he would pay great sums of money for Hornsby, MT. Craighead protested, and he further declared that the Chicago club knew nothing officially as to how the ru- mors got afloat.
 Then MT. Hickey asserted that he had seen photographic copies of the Chicago clubs letters in the Hornsby case in the hands of newspaper men, and stuck to his original charge.
 The question was discussed for some time and, finally, without mentioning or 1censuring the Chicago club, the league recorded itself as against the publicity practice regaf1ing big deals as demoralizing to the poorer clubs on the circuit.
 Col. Charles H. Ebbets' amendment ,to the bylaws to allow the playing off of postponed or tie games during the first interclub series as double- headers met with so much opposition among the members that it was final ly withdrawn by the Brooklyn owner. He then offered an amendment that there be no double-headers at all-that all tied and postponed games remain unplayed unless they can be played off on open dates.
 The gasp that went up at this rat tied the. glasses on the Waldorf bar, way down stairs. However, the amendment was lost, so no harm was done,
 ] This leaves the double header sit uation unchanged-no dual bills un- til the second series between clubs roll around.
 The amendment offered by the St Louis club allowing the withdrawal o- waivers after clubs have put 1T claims was adopted.
 The effort of the same club to have the minimum waiver price fixed a S1, 500 was lost. The President of the league will fix the price as heretofore
 Barney Dreyfuss, President of the Pittsburgh Club; H. N. Hampstead head of the New York Giants, ant William F. Baker, President of th' Phillies, were appointed a commit tee with full power to meet with ( like committee of the American Lea gue to endeaVor to fix a uniform schedule of admission prices, mad necessary by the new war tax. Thi joint committee probably will mee tomorrow.
 A special committee composed 0 Messrs. Hampstead, Baker and Ebbet was named to act with a committe of the; American League in formulat ing ways and means to care for tn abandoned ball parks inherited iron the Federal league in Newark an Brooklyn when the settlement wit Harry Sinclair and the Ward estate the Fed "angels," is made.
 The league reaffirmed Gov. Ten CTS power to settle the litigation, an the compromise probably will made this week and the terms mad public, It was hinted that the ol ball parks may be sold.
 The new division of the World Series money, whereby the first fou clubs in each league share the spoil was adopted.
 The question of compelling player to carry; their own uniforms was lei to the individual clubs. It was fe that perhaps the railroad situatio may clarify during the summer an that baggage may be. handled as hert tefore.
 Nobody said word about the spi ball at the meeting, but it is under stood that the American League ow1 CTS may take up the subject. today.