New Britain herald., 1919-02-17
FRICTION MAY I'D
AFTER COMING SUIT
Majors and Minors May Get To-
9ether When Trial Is Ended

~" 1oTk, teh. I(.-The 100000
SUIT of the former director of the
balumore Federal league club against
the sixteen major league clubs for I"
conspiracy and violation of the Sher-
man antitrust law, which has been
called for trial in Washington on
march 10. came as another blow to
the harassed big leaguers last week.
while it was known that the case
had peen reopened by the Baltimore
Federal league directors so many of
theSe antitrust cases had been con-
Venlently shelved during the war that
the big leagues hardly expected its
case to come up for trial so quickly
after the armistice.
The setting of a date for the trial
however, already has had one good
effect. 1t promises to remove the
friction that has existed all winter
between the majors and the minors,
and also between the two leagues.
Attacked again from the outside or
ganized baseball has concluded the
best way to meet the attack is by a
united front. 1t now seems that the
minor league situation and the ques-<
ton of a new chairman of the Ma
ttonal Commission will be cleared
within the next fortnight.
DESTROYS of Avoiding Trouble.
Little was announced about the
conferences here last week in which
Ban Johnson, John Heydler, Col.
Rupert, Barney Dreyfuss, William
Baker and Charley Ebbets took part,
Dut much was accomplished.
The announcement by John Heyd-
Ter. president of the National league,
that the national agreement still is
ia
the National league and minor leagues
must be made in accordance with it's
regulations is significant 1t shows
the majors are DESTROYS of avoiding
further strife. Heydler previously had
taken the stand that the national
agreement had been dissolved and
that there no longer was any agree
ment between the majors and minors
The minors when they decided to
shift for themselves did say that they
broke the old national agreement, but
they were careful to get a promise
from August Hermann, chairman of
the National Commission, that theA.
old agreement would remain opera
tive until a, new one was drawn up.
Dave Fultz, president of the Inter
national league, together with several
other minor league men. now are
working on d draft of new agree
ment. This will be submitted to the
commission when completed.
To Select Chairman This Week.
The National Commission will have
a new chairman before the Baltimore
suit is heard. The four club owners
selected TO recommend new COM
mission head will meet in New York
this week and go over a list of names
which have been suggested The
committee consists of Col Rupert of
the Yankees and Frank Navin of De-
troit, the American league commit
tee, and William F. Baker of Phila-
delphia and William Veeck of Chi
cago, the National league committee.
Rupert and Baker reside in New
York, so it was decided to hold the
meeting here.
Ban johnson took up the commits
sion matter with Rupert last week.
He also had two conferences with
Heydler on the subject. Even Ban
johnson, who made a hard fight to re-
tain Hermann now realizes that a
change in craftsmanship is desired,
and Ban is anxious to end the COM
mission wrangle as speedily as pos
sible in order to give baseball a.
chance to quiet down.
Barney Dreyfuss also was here last
week in the interests Of the COM
mission He is not q, member of the
National league committee on teIe-
graph, and did not attend the tele~
graph conferences. Dreyfuss, it is
understood, came here to recommend
another candidate for commission
chairman.
Matty Is Mentioned.
Among the names mentioned last
week were Christy Mathewson and I.
f. Sanborn. If Mathewson cares to
remain in baseball, he would make q.
splendid man for the position. The
ball players long have asked for rep
resentation on the commission, and
a man of the calibre Of Matty would
represent the players as much as he
would the club owners.
Matnewson comes under all the
qualifications of the man wanted for
chairman; he knows baseball thor
oughly, has no financial interests in
the game and has the esteem and re-
spect of the entire nation. Mathew
son also is equipped with splendid
college education. FTe is a credit to
the position.