The Washington herald., 1919-12-08
BY GEORGE L. MoRELAND.

"hen tne report that the Yankees
attorneys withdrew injunction pro-
seedlings reached the ears OF the fans
they at once replied II told you So"
Why they can't beat Johnson. try as
hard as they can. He has held the
reigns for years, and no one, not even
Comiskey, can touch them while Ban
Is driving
That Is just the trouble. Ban has
been driving the American League so
long that he does not even give any
one else chance to say: Let US
take this road. Had the czar taken
the other men more into his conf
dence. and asked their opinions, their
would not have been any of the pres
ent trouble.
, L am not saying this with any re-
Venge for the American League leader
Is very dear friend of mine. l am
Just going to show a, few things that
he may think he can do, but l differ
with him.
Ban Killing Self.
Mark this predictions: IL Ban
johnson and the Washington, De-
troit. Cleveland. st. Louis and Ath-
letic representatives at the meet
ing next Wednesday at Chicago.
hold a meeting-and ! am not GER
tain that they will even do so
take a course and throw out the
present board of directors. as
know the present plan is to do.
then 1t is goodby to Ban Johnson
as leader. This may sound dras-
tic. but that is exactly what Is
going to happen to him.
or course, his friends will come
right back with this remark: Bosh!
As 1t was the American League
members that drew up the bylaws.
and knew what they were doing
at the time and at that tine. in
1901 they had in the constitution
that all meetings of the American
League were to be held in Chicago.
That Is the regular fall meeting.
Special meetings were to be held
at the call of the president.
This rule was changed in 1911 or
1912 to meet the demands of base
ball. and to permit the American
League. il il was seen fit to do so.
to hold the meetings in New York
or any other city. Since then the
! league has held several of its regu-
lar meetings in New York.
But, where the members of the
American League DID make mis-
| take. was that they never thought OF
the important part Of calling meet
| ings. they never designated who
should call them. That is where th'-
| made their greatest mistake.
Had the rule been changed taking
| from the board OF directors that right.
! and as The Herald said last week,
| that board has more power than the
! president. and this opinion waS sus-
tained by the justice of the New York
Supreme Court in his rulings on the
Case-then all the presnt controversy
would have been avoided.
Now that the board of directors
have been told by the justice that
they have that power. and also that
| when .he board of directors called the
! regular fall n.etinG to be held in
New York next Wednesday, before
President Johnson had issued orders
for the meeting TO be held in Chicago.
| that they had that authority. then
I President Johnson's hands were tied
by that opinion. even If it was only
! the expressed opinion OF the justice,
and it is a safe bet that when a de-
cision is given out that he will up
hold that ruling. then the fun will
begin.
| Up to the Court.
| With this power officially given the
| board, just at that minute all the
work done by the members of the
! league that will meet in Chicago will
come to naught. For the very instant
that they vote to throw out OF power
the three-Chicago. New York and
Boston-members from the board. and
that is the intention, then the court
| will be asked to decide who's who"
in this league and it will be UP to the
court to tell them who's who" and
from what he has already said. il is
not likely that he will change his
mind.
i Should the Chicago meeting decide
the three members now constituting
the board are no longer entitled TO
| hat. position. but that they had select
ed three other members-and the by
laws say distinctly that each year a
insurgents will act.
Chicago Meeting Illegal.
They are not saying what thev in
tend doing today. nor what will be
done tomorrow. but on Wednesday /:
the above happens-and I will say
now that it will happen unless
some one can persuade them to
postpone the Chicago meeting and
go to New York-then the three
| will not only ask the court, but