Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-10-19

who have supported
President Ban Johnson
of the league in several
controversies this season and in past
seasons, have until November the
opportunity Of joining the other three
club owners of the league and entire
eight of the national league in the re-
organization of baseball Or face the
propsect Of being ousted from major
league play.
/ Representatives of eleven national
baseball clubs and three American
league clubs, New York, Chicago and
, Boston today We're on record favoring
Iabrogation of the national agreement
between professional leagues with the
national commission abolished and
civilian tribunal of three men not
financially interested in the game IN
complete control.
May Be 12-Team League.
The twelfth club of the new scheme
of play to be followed next season will
be chosen from some other city should
it develop that none Of the five out
standing club owners expressed will
ingness to enter the new compact, 1t
was stated today.
While the definite threat was ex
pressed in the resolution endorsed by
the eleven baseball magnates to lay
plans for new major league without
| the five holdOut American league
clubs. if they refused to agree to the
reorganization of the national COM
mission, some Of the owners declared
that no plans would be discussed for
! excluding the five teams in the new
scheme of baseball control until they
had been given plenty of time to con-
slider the situation. The general out
line of the new controlling body In
the baseball world was definitely ex-
pressed but no steps were taken to-
ward a realignment of the two major
leagues under the new scheme.
Old Agreement Killed.
This national agreement suppressed
ing the one in effect since it incep-
ton in 1902 and operation on the dia-
monds in 1903. formally "abrogated
and denounced" in resolution late
last night, today became passe, the
I
of control with its three members.
''men of national repute" men OF such
business and professional experience
in no wise financially interested in
baseball whose characters and relp-
utations will be such as to convince
the public that baseball of the future
will be conducted in a clean and fair
manner,"--as the resolution has it.
The board will be selected by ma
ioritr vote of the clubs OF the ma
tional and American league at meet
ing in Chicago November S.
Demand Public Control.
Yesterdays meeting of club owners
OF the major leagues, occasioned,
according to President Heydler, by
the unanimous conclusion that the
general baseball situation as 1t now
stands had resulted in public de-
mand for some sort Of public control"
was attended by the following base
ball officials: Charles Fl, Stoneham
and John ]. McGraw for the New
York national league club Barney
Dreyfus, Pittsburg national. Geo. w.
Grant. Boston national; Chas. H. Eb-
bets. Brooklyn national WIN. l..
Veeck and VIM Wrigley of the Chi
cago Cubs. James G. Jones and
Branch Hickey, st. Louis national;
VIM +. Baker and Charles l.. Rnch.
Philadelphia national: August Herr
mann. Cincinnati, national; Charles
A. Comiskey, Alfred Austrian. Louis
Comiskey and Harry Grabiner, Chi
cago American; Col. Jacob Ruppert
and Col. T. S. Huston, New YORK
American and Harry Frazee. Boston
American league club.
Excused As Witness.
Chicago. Oct. 19.-When the spe-
cial grand jury investigating gamo-
ling in organized baseball resumed
its investigation today Charles Eb-
belts. owner of the Brooklyn Nation
ais, and Harry II Frazee, president
of the Boston Americans, were eX-
cused at witnesses.