The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-02-10
No Interest in Projected Mississippi
River League Here, Because
There is No Interest in
Game Itself.
PLAN STILL TALKED OF
II Would Embrace Eight Cities Along
Father Of Waters, and Moline
and Hannibal arc It's
Parents.


the fans were wont to talk the argot
of the diamond and discuss the
merits of players in the cigar stores,
not word is ever heard about the
national game today
Careful observation discloses that
while the disposition to be made of
the kaiser. whether ice will be cut
in Lake Keokuk this spring, the rela-
tive chance for workers before and
after the war, why men don't go to
church. and the. value of boxing
matches In education, were all live
topics, not a word was said about
baseball for some time.
The winter cigar store league OF
Keokuk seems to have disbanded
and forgotten its previous active ex-
istence.
It Seem to Bore Them Now.
They have got away from 1t, have
been occupied with the war and its
! sidelights. and it will take some time
for them to get back to baseball and
make it hobby again. said one of
the wisest former members OF the
indoor league here.
Il don't know. There don't seem
to be any interest in it, said an
0SNN
to talk baseball by the hour In the
cigar store. Not his words, but the
! blase, bored tone and manner OF this
former enthusiast told the most
about the decline Of the baseball
fever In Keokuk.
ut certainly used to be a fever
bordering on delirium." said man
who never cared much about the
game and had to hear 1t discussed
every evening at Wards whether he
| liked it or not.
Other River Cities Willing.
| The efforts to form Mississippi
river league are still going on, but
| If Keokuk enters it there will be a
4 trem endous change of attitude here
| between now and the pitching of the
first ball over the plate. Some other
cities seem to be enthusiastic about
the plan, though.
IF Lee Blackman, Of Moline. ILL.,.
succeeds in his plan to organize a
Mississippi river league, Hannibal
will be in the league asserted Henry
Riedel, owner Of the Hannibal
Three-I league franchise for two
seasons Hannibal, however, wants
the proposed league to be in organ
| lied baseball, as Independent base
ball would not be supported as readi-
| ly in Hannibal" continued Mr.. RE
| del
There has been considerable dis
cussion in cities along the Missis.
! si2pi river between Hannibal and
| Muscatine as to the proposed forma-
ton of river league. Only cities
along the Mississippi would be ac-
i cepted, such as Hannibal, Quincy,
Keokuk, Burlington, Davenport, Rock
| Island. Moline and Muscatine.
Say They VIII Support It.
! Those eight cities incorporated
| into an organized river league would
undoubtedly support such league.
according to the view of baseball
men in Hannibal and other nearby
cities. but this is considered more
than doubtful in Keokuk. Mr.. Riedel
stands for salary limit OF about
81, 400 and player limit OF fourteen
men, including the manager. He
thinks that the president of the
! league should serve without drawing
a salary, in order to cut the over
head expenses.
/ Lee Blackman, OF Moline, news
paper man and secretary OF the Mo-
| line Three-I club two seasons ago,
is one Of the strongest boosters In
the Tri-Cities for the league, and he
is devoting considerable space in his
newspaper in Moline to the enter
prise. Other cities in the north have
taken up the project, and from all
indications the project will come to
some sort Of head within short
time.