New-York tribune., 1919-08-05

tering with him to get Carl Mays, the
pitcher whose indefinite suspension by
Johnson was the cause of the war.
At the Yankee offices Business Man
ager Harry Sparrow announced that the
club had started the legal machinery
to restrain Ban johnson from interfer-
ing with the affairs of the New York
American League Club.
For the first time since he assumed
the dictatorship of organized baseball,
Ban Johnson remained silent for
twenty -four hours. He banished nobody,
unless the manner in which he con-
cealed himself from the gaze and in
quiries Of the vulgar might be con-
sidered as self -banishment.
Real Cause of Fight
In behalf of the Yankees, Colonel
Huston issued the following statement,
which seems to epitomize the real cause
of the fight:
sThe trouble is fundamental. WE
BELIEVE THAT THE PRESIDENT or
THE AMERICAN LEAGUE is INTER
We are not going to attempt to prove
this, but that is our belief and we be-
lievc it is the conviction of every club
owner in the American League. Until
this carbuncle is removed there can he
no health in our league"
The calling off o. the meeting of the
American League magnates was per
haps the most significant development
of the day. The Inference is that the
call for the meeting was bluff. 1t is
believed that the "Czar" was unable
to get five club evaers of the League
to come out aad say that they had
protested agass Mays playing with
the Yanks.
It is the c,n' ention Of Colonel Jacob
Rupert ard Jolonel Huston that the
suspension Mays was blow aimed
directly b. ne pcnnant chances of the
Yankee they are preparing to show
by thf Il stimony which reached them
thror darr3- II. Frazee that five clubs
wers liking offers for Mays while the
Var IS were trying % get him, and
tn, Johnson was co@Nizant Of this but
d. not act until the Yankees won the
u de.
Frazac is ready to produce telo
gram from Charles Comiskey, owner of
the White Sox, ia which $4O0, 900 was
offered 3or Mays. Detroit attempted to
make a dicker through Manager Bar
row of the Red Sox. Bobby Quinn. of
st. Louis, had made an offer, and after
ward admitted that he had tried to get
in which Ban Johnson is said to be in
terested, offered Pitchers Morton and
Klepfer and Outfielder Smith in ex-
change for Mays.
Johnson Losing Power
1t hardly would be consistent, then,
for these magnates to meet and deny
that the Yankees had a right to play
Mays when they had. bargained des
perately to get the underhand pitcher
themselves Which leads to the belief
that the Gear" has lost further power
over the league which he used to rule
with an iron hand and much loose con-
versation.
A ruling by these magnates to uphold
would seem like direct admission Of
enmity TO New York. 1t would be the
rankest kind of rank sportsmanship.
Evidently it was something that made
the magnates balk. The disposition
seems to be to let the Gear" pull his
own chestnuts out of the fire. He put
them in
Not even a whisper was forthcoming
from the fallen Gear yesterday. The
all day by few of his local employees.
Report had it that the dethroned mon
arch was preparing to smuggle himself
out of the metropolis in an effort to
cvade subpoena servers in connection
with the legal proceedings which Colo
ncls Rupert and Huston have insti-
tuted against him. It's the first time
in the memory of the oldest inhabitant
that Ban johnson could not be inter
viewed.
1t was intimated by Johnson that this
meeting which was called off might be
whitewashlng committee for Mays
That much was gathered by Colonels
Rupert and Huston in their talk with
johnson Sunday. But the owners of
the Yanks were tired of the comic
opera czarism that has been making
down the gantlet to Johnson. There
was couple of verbal horseshoes IN
the gantlet too.
TO Decide on Action To-day
Just what turn the legal proceedings
may take they do not care to say just
now. They might attempt to put Mays
in the box and, in the event that John
son ordered his umpires not to per-
nit him to play, they might institute
a suit, or they could apply directly
for an injunction restraining the
Gear" from interfering in the affairs
of the New York Baseball Club. To-day
will reveal just what turn the legal
proceedings will take.
Mays had joined the Yankee club
The players and the purchase money
have been turned over to Frazee.
Pitchers McGra% and Russell have
already pitched for the Red Sox. Mays
will be in uniform and on the field
when the Yankees meet st. Louis at
the Polo Grounds to-day. Whether or
not the Gear" will occupy the royal
box remains to be seen. He could not
be smoked out of the room into which
he had dug yesterday. Only conf
dental afiidavitmen and yeomcn were
admitted into the once royal presence
Late last night, however, after TWEEN.
ty-four hours of deliberation, Ban came
came out of his hiding place at the
HolAnd House long enough to issue 8
statement of about seven hundred
words defending" sis action in sus
pending Carl Mays for the remainder
OF the season.
The owners of the Yankees are hav.
ing something of n laugh over the
proposition that johnson made to then
to face trial before six club owners, al
least four of whom were vitality inter.
csted parties in that they sought te
secure the services Of the pitcher who
has become the bone of contention.
Somebody must think that we are
simple" remarked Colonel Huston "The
idea that we should submit to a hear
ing before packed jury. l have been
up against that old Democratic con.
vention stuff myself in the days of my
Noufh md i,nocopca o,,I Jop,t ,,D