The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-10-19
CIVILIAN BOARD
TO CONT ROL CAME
Eight National and Three
American League Team
Owners Agree to New
Plan.
MAY BRING NEW WAR
Five Clubs Refuse to Take Part in
Conference and VIII be Left
Out il They
Desire. ..

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service
CHICAGO, Oct ia new war in
baseball was believed in the offing
today as the result of the decision
of eleven major league magnates in
session here to shed the present plan
of baseball organization.
All National league and three
American league owners in joint
meeting here, abrogated the national
agreement of the major leagues and
agreed if necessary to organize
new circuit of twelve teams to sup
plant the existing organizations.
Ban B. Johnson, president of the
| American league, and his five 'loyal
followers" of st. Louis, Cleveland,
| Detroit, Philadelphia and Washing
| ton, took no part in the conference.
The other club owners declared this
Isent the reorganization plan to the
| five absent American league teams
land ask their sanction. Is these fnalzl
rc5fss holders refuse to Join the new
move, the eleven owners represented
/ at the meeting and twelfth city to-.
be agreed on later will proceed, 1t
| was decided.
| The five American league owners
were given until November l TO take
! favorable action.
| After adopting a definite plan for
the conduct of baseball by civilian
board, the joint meeting adjourned
/ until November 8, when another ses-
| sion will be held here to receive
answers from the five American
league teams and arrange to present
the new plan to the annual meeting
of minor leaguers at Kansas City
| November 9.
| The arrangement for the future
| conduct Of baseball agreed to by the
| Joint meeting was drafted-by a COM
/ mittee consisting of Alfred Austrian,
la. D. Lasker and Charles Comiskey,
representing the Chicago teams;
James G. Jones, st. Louis Cardinals;
Barney Dreyfuss, Pittsburgh, and
Colonel Jacob Rupert, New York
Yankees.
The new agreement provides for
control by a civilian commission OF
three men ''of national repute." The
! chairman will devote his interests
| exclusively to the work and receive
a salary of $4,000 annually. The
other two members of the commits
sion will be paid $4,000 annually.
The commissioners are to be elected
| by a majority vote Of the clubs.
| The plan was adopted for a tenure
of twenty-five years.
/ Further details of the agreement
will be worked out in conference
with representatives Of all minor
leagues. Little opposition from the
minors was anticipated. Endorse
| ments from fifty club owners have
/ been received, according to A. D.
| Lasker, father of the new plan.
| The action brings to head long
series Of wars in organized baseball.
| Whether Ban Johnson and the five
| American league owners win join
! with the other clubs in the PROPOSE
ton will determine the future peace
sof baseball BY acting independently
the majority of the juvenile league
| can create a condition more serious
than was injected by the Federal
ileague magnates at the joint meeting
agreed. they expressed doubt the
absentees would consent to the new
organization and made plans for
hard fight.
Affairs of the major circuits have
been complicated during the last
wear by the failure of Johnson and
John Heydler, president of the Ma
tional league, to agree on a third
member of the national commission
which has controlled the game. The
split was widened by the baseball
crookedness exposures of the Cook
county grand jury.
! Many owners declared the failure
to have a suitable working commits
sion was responsible for the condi
! tion.
| Club Owners Subpoenaed.
CHICAGO. Oct. 19-Additional sub
poenaes were issued today for three
major league club owners. They
were: G. w Grant, of the Boston
Nationals; Barney Dreyfuss, of the
+ Pirates, and Jacob Rupert, of the
/ Yankees.
| All three are in Chicago, being