The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-04
Columbia and Sheffield Will
Come. i'm Together and
Bring Decatur Also.

| After all hope OF completing the
Cotton States league had apparently
| gone giimrnering, new life was instilied
| into the session at Meridian after 10
o'clock at night, Wednesday. when the
Pensacola delegation insisted that a.
messenger be sent to the union depot
| to bring back G. r. Cowie, of Column
bia, Tenn, who had previously been
/ informed that it was hopeless for him
! to try to get franchises for his club
/ and Sheffield.
AS a matter of plain business sense
| for the other towns in the league
aside from Pensacola-the proper
stunt would have been to drop Pensa-
cola and take in the two Tennessee
| towns and Clarksdale, all of which
were represented and had their money
ready to deposit. This would have
completed q six club circuit with Pen
sacola on the outside looking on.
| President DAILY, however, had prom
| ised to stand pat for Pensacola and
Charlie Bell. of Greenwood, was just
as firmly in favor of the only Flor
! ida city in the circuit This had made
it seem that the proper thing to do
would bc to drop the northermost|
towns from consideration and continue
the effort to bring Selma and Natchez,
| Laurel or Vicksburg into line forming
six club circuit.
When Columbia and Sheffield had
| gone and the raw facts in the case
of the other suggested towns were
brought out and aired it appeared that
not one of them had an organization
and not one of them had taken any
positive steps indicating even the
| slightest interest in organized base
| ball. With these facts in sight it ap-
peared that the league was due tol
! flivver out.
| 1t was at this point that Pensacola
! called President Daily to one side and
put it up straight to him to get Shelf
field and Columbia and thereby have
seven clubs signed up. Then the
question of dropping n club for the
benefit of the remaining six could be
settled if no eighth club could bel
found. Pensacola was willing to take
| a chance on being one of the six to
stay.
| President DAILY agreed with Pensa-
cola and Mr.. Cowie was called back,
| The result was a protracted session
which wound up as outlined by Pen
saco1a with the additional provision
| that Cowie get after Albany Deca tur,
| which had already raised $4,000 for
another league only to have that cir
cult blow up, and see If that club
would join Sheffield and Columbia,
completing an eight club Cotton States
| league This Cowie agreed to do and
will appear before the Albany Decatur
Kiwanians at q special session today.
He has already wired z. F. Baird of
Albany, to get ready for action and
has assurances that Baird will do so.
With Sheffield, Decatur and Colum
bia in the circuit Pensacola can afford
to jump out any night and start a |
series in any one of the three towns
the following afternoon, inasmuch as
the railroad mileage between the |
three towns is about SO miles per |
jump. Should four games be played |
in each town (the necessary number |
in an eight club league) the Pensacola |
team would take in $1,000 for jumping |
420 miles and playing IL days-an APP |
proximate profit over all expenses of
$3.50.
This was the most important devel- |
opment of the meeting. After the ses-
sion adjourned Pensacola obtained |
promises from Greenwood, Meridian, !
Columbia and Sheffield to come to |
Pensacola for the next meeting. Pres
ident Daily also agreed to call the ses-
sion here. The date is uncertain but
Secretary Anderton expects to have
the facts on Decatur by tonight and
has promised to wire President Bur
goyne Immediately.
Details taken up at yesterdays
meeting included raising the salary
limit to s2,4o0, reducing the number
Of men higher than the class of the
league eligible to play to four. Pres
ident Daily declared that the salary
limit would be strictly enforced and
warned all league representatives to
notify their clubs that summary action
would be taken in case of violation.
Lucky Baldwin of Pensacola. Char
lie Bell of Greenwood, and II. j. Hell
dleburg of Jackson, were named by L
President DAILY to reco nnend the sal
airy of Secretary Andcrton, who will
be the only paid league official, aside Il
from umpires.
The matter of uniforms came be-
fore the league and it was voted four /,
to one to have two uniforms. one for Il
home use and one for the road The II
home uniform win be white. The
question of adopting an official league
ball also came up. Representatives of
various sporting goods houses were
present and presented their claims.
These will be reduced to writing and
forwarded 10 each club.
BY agreement, without specific reg Il
ulatlon, players will not be paid dur
ing the training season. Expenses only
will be borne by the club giving the
tryout This rule is nor required to
be enforced in the case of managers,
nor of men already made good, but
refers strictly to try-out men. II
Another matter which came up and
which was settled satisfactorily to
Pensacola was the question of requir-
ing an additional guarantee from Pen
sacola because of the long jump here
This question came up before Mr.