The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-01

was accused of leaving the Baltimore stories that have gone round.
 A correspondent has sent in ques- tionnaire in which he asks that tell the real facts about my breaking off with Ban Johnson, "the origin of our enmity," he expresses it.
 Our Baltimore club had been play ing but a short while when discov- cred that l could not get along with Johnson. Az president of the league he was constantly picking on the Baltimore club, setting me down for frequent suspensions and frequently disciplining other players. His sever ity was unusual and unjust, l thought. This crippled us consider ably. I am not exactly a fool and I soon discovered what l thought to be the cause of this.
 Wanted New York Club
 Johnson's ultimate ambition was to get a club in New York. If he succeeded this meant, of course, that Baltimore again would be dropped and some one would be left holding the bag. Baltimore was the weakest team in attendance. If 1t failed to hold its own that would be good excuse to the public for dropping it.
 We had many run-ins and argu- ments-Johnson and l. It was cer- tain that we would not work in har- mony together; would not build suc- cessfully.
 We finished out the season and be- gan the season of 1902. To me it was quite obvious now that Johnson and to put a team in New York.
 Under those scircumstances, and thus forewarned, any man with busi- ness judgment would take steps not to be left with the bag to hold
 Baltimore Losing Money
 In 1902 the Baltimore club was los ing money. Though we operated as a stock company, had been paying sa1- aries to some of the players out of my pocket. I had advanced between S6,000 and $7,000-was keeping the club up. To use a sporting express sion, nobody else had kicked in.
 I called meeting of the stockhold- CTS and put the matter squarely up to them.
 "Gentlemen, here is the situation" l told them. "I have advanced nearly $7,000 to keep the club going. The company is in debt to me that much personally. Now I think I should be paid the money back or l should be given my unconditional release. It's not up to me to .earry the club. We've got to have a showdown. You can do either one thing or the other"
 We discussed the matter at length but nobody seemed willing to reim- purse me for what I had paid out. At the end of the discussion it was de- cided to give me my unconditional re- lease. That was done. I was free to do as l pleased. l did not jump, as has been so often said, and neither did deceive the stockholders in any manner whatever. That transaction is also a matter of record.
 Offered Post With Giants
 In the meantime Fred M. Knowles, then secretary of the New York Giants, owned by Andrew Freedman, made an appointment to meet me in An emissary of MT. Freed man, he offered me the management of the Giants. This I agreed to con- slider. My duty to myself was pretty clear.
 I agreed to accept the management of the Giants on the condition, stipu- lated in a contract, that I was to have absolute control of the team on the field; that I be empowered to pur- chase or trade for players and make releases as I saw fit; that my author ity in that respect was to be absolute and that under no circumstances was
 
 was to run for four years.
 That was pretty big order. club in the lurch. The stockholders knew. however, that I had acted in good faith. I had simply protected myself as any business man would do.
 That was the beginning of my real career as a manager. Before me is the sporting page of New York pa- per dated Thursday. July 10, 1902. It has a four-column headline and a two-column photograph of me with this under the caption: "McGraw, who, it is said, will get $10.ooo year,