Evening star., 1919-12-09
JOHNSON |NVADES
LAIR Of ENEMIES
Goes to Gotham Presumably
Willing to Compromise, But
Prepared to Fight.
BY DE>MAN THOMPSON.

Ban johnson and his cohorts are go
. Ing to beard the lion in his den Their
decision. reached yesterday at secret
confab in Chicago. to forego holding
the annual meeting in the Windy city
tomorrow, and instead attend the seS-
sion called by the directors for New
York. will not be construed as an evil
dence of weakening in their deter
mination to fight the insurgent ele-
ment except by those unfamiliar with
the temper of the Washington. Phila-
delphia. Cleveland. st. Louis and De-
troit club owners.
If the attitude of the local officials
is any criterion of the convictions of
the entire five it may be stated posi-
lively that their action in moving on
to New York for the yearly gathering
is ominously significant of trouble for
Comiskey. Frazee and Rupert.
Compromise Is Anticipated.
That give-and-take will be the policy
through which peace is to he attained
at the New York meeting, if it is attain
ed. is reasonable to expect. but it is
assured that it will not be a case of
all give On the part of the johnson
element and all take" for the rebels
There are some sane and cicar-thinking
heads among the men representing a
majority of the clubs in the American
League and it is assured that petty
spite and personal animosities viii
not be permitted to interfere with a
reasonable compromise calculated to
protect the large property interests
involved.
But any attempt on the part of the
Chicago, New York and Boston own
ers TO maintain an attitude of un-
compromising severity in following
their often reiterated intention OF
stopping at nothing until Johnson is
ANONYMOUSLY consigned to base ball 5
trash heap will result, Bans support
ers Stoutly contend, in Comiskey
Frazee and the Yankee colonels Rup-
pert and Houston. being shorn of all
power and releSated to practical OBJ
Ivlon so far as voice in the councils
OF the game is concerned.
Wisdom shown by Switch.
Froof that johnson has not lost the
cunning that enabled him to attain
the position of the strongest leader
base ball ever produced. and that the
ma asnates supporting him are well ad-
Fised. is furnished by the readiness
with which they called off the con-
,cepted the challenge to meet the
enemy on his own battlefield Tc
nave met in Chicago. with the pos
sloillty that any action taken there
later Wo' Id be construed in the courts
as unlaN iul, meant only the leopard
lz1ng of the vIc.ury lney resaiu as
certain in any meeting the legality
or which could not be questioned. AS
u is. with the session being held at
me piaee designated originally by the
ulrec,ors and subsequently by the
president. whatever transpres will be
unasSaIlable in the courts
Just what will take place when the
magnates get together in one room
AZ the Biltmore Hotel tomorrow can
not be foretold. 1t is logical to as
sumo that for the good of base hall
means will be found to iron out the
olmcuities now threatening the sue
cessful conduct of the American
League and hampering the workings
base ball But if ii is to be a fight
10 finish between the Comiskey and
johnson factions the battle align
ment now indicates ultimate tri-
umph for the latter
johnson Il Prepared.
The president and his supporters
are prepared. should occasion arise,
from among the club owners loyal
TO johnson and remove Comiskey
from the vice presidency, an office
he has held continuously since the
circuit was organized.
Should the insurgents then attempt
TO carry out their threat to secede
and form new league they will
face the handicap. upon forfeiting
their franchises, of losing title to
all the players now on their rosters
to the two that would remain availa-
BILE to them-those in Boston and
Chicago-in which to stage games
The New York Americans have no
home of their own. and, with John
McGraw of the Giants. who controls
the Polo Grounds. reported definitely
committed to Johnson's side of the
controversy. the Yankee magnates
would be confronted with an almost
insurmountable barrier to their de-
signs right at the outset.