Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-13
BASE BALL PEACE
FADES'EvEN MORE
Johnson Appeals Mays Case.
ComiSkey and Frazee Re-
new Verbal Attacks.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

Peace for the American League seems
further away now than at any time
since President Johnson's indefinite Sus-
pension of NAYS for contract breaking
precipitated the war that has been
rocking the organization for months.
With the filing, contrary to eXpecta
ton. of an appeal from the finding OF
the New York court in the Mays in
junction proceedings, Johnson and the
majority of the club owners have sig
nified their determination to have the
question of authority in the circuit
passed on by the civil courts. and so
long as lawyers armed with sum
mOnSeS, briefs and inlunctlOnS con-
stitute the first line of both attack
and defense for each faction harmony
never will he restored
The reason advanced by the John
Son faction for the non-payment of
players was that no action could be
taken while the case was before the
courts and the appeal just taken. on
the final day when such action was
tunity To refuse payment. This an
peal is only one of a b@vy of legal
steps taken during or since the an
nual meeting in New York this week,
and the outlook now is for a winter
marked chiefly by legal processes.
mandates and restraining orders.
with plenty of verbal shrapnel on the
side.
There is no question but that if at
the trial the injunction is dissolved
the insurgents will have been hope
leSSly beaten. while if it is sustained
and the old directors clearly establish
their claim to absolute authority last
season. the latter claim that all their
acts. including the reputation of
Johnson. must stand That there
will be other suits is reasonable to
expect, but just now this seems the
most important, and in the meantime
there has been no muller placed on
loose conversation.
EARNED Truce" Says Comiskey.
Charley Comiskey spouted forth i'm
mediately upon reaching Chicago
with the assertion that the result of
the New York meeting may be de-
scribed as an armed truce"
We have no schedule committee,
nor have we transacted any other
business usually cleared up at the De-
cember meeting" said Comiskey AZ
have not changed my mind in any way
about the American League, and
am convinced it will do no good to
talk compromise. What will be done
hereafter remains to be seen.
Il have been quoted as having sug-
gested a peace proposition. l never
did any such thing. Neither did /
vote for myself as vice president of
the league"
Likewise Harry Frazee of Boston
who is aligned with Comiskey and
the New York club owners in the
> fight against Johnson, has cut loose
with another broadSide.
Mays Case Only an Incident.
People should get it out of their
heads that this fight is all over the
Mays case" says Frazee. THE Mays
case now is only an incident and it
only served to bring the feeling that
has been engendered against Johnson
in the league to the surface AS a
matter of fact rebellion against
Johnson's domineering. autocratic
power has been smoldering for some
time. Were it not for this discomfort
at Johnsons acts. his conduct in the
Mays case would not have raised the
storm that it did. And lot of the
other club owners agree with us that
we are right They admit that John
son has run everything to suit him
self and that frequently during the
war he made himself ridiculous and
was one of base balls encumbrances
during those severe days on the ma
t1onal game.
But when it comes to taking any
action their excuse is that to turn on
johnson now and take our part would
make bad impression with their ball
players. and that hereafter any dis
satisfied player would run out on his
team, which is absolute bosh
Have Quit Guessing" Ban.
what we want in the American
League IS a league run by the club
owners. as is done in the National
League, with capable man to carry
out the wishes of the club owners.
That is the difference between the two
leagues In the National League the
president does the Will of the club
owners. Until recently the procedure
in the American League was for the
league to do entirely what the presi-
dent did He acted absolutely and the
rest of the league merely chimed in
with 'yesses,' but we have ceased being
yes men for Johnson"
Tomorrow either Rupert or Hus-
ton may be expected to come to bat
with some scathing arraignment or
denunciatory statement.
In the meantime nothing is heard
from the Johnson camp. This silence
10 construed in some quarters as