Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-11

1 $500" =
Of the Home Plate Club, erected
a monument to his memory.
81 realize the team has not
produced a pennant in % years
and for the past 10 years has
finished in the second division.
In spite of this record, I con-
slider that the fan support has
been remarkably good. 1t is my
view that the clubs primary OBJ
LEGATION is to those fans.
81 don't believe that the frus-
trations attendant to our present
situation will be solved by NOV
ling to what appears to be a
greener valley.
Team Belongs to Nation
Let me make this most en-
Iphatic. The Senators must re-
main in Washington! / feel, as
do others in baseball, that our
club is not merely a local repre-
sentative. This is a national ball
team-it belongs to the Nation,
as does the city itself.
1.-THE Washington team is not
as hopeless as some have painted
lit. I think we have made some
progress in the rebuilding pro-
gram started by Calvin Griffith.
We won six more games this year
than last year, and had a slight
increase in home attendance.
am encouraged with the results,
land hopeful and confident that
the accent-on-youth program
will produce a better team.
ut is my feeling that a big
league baseball team is a great
asset to a city and a community,
and that fans look upon the
team as theirs. Naturally, they
must resent an attempt to take
it away. A major league fran
chiSe is not a business or in
dustry where there is expansion
during boom time and cutbacks
at recession. I don't believe
major league baseball stock
holders should, without regard
to the loyalty and devotion of the
fans. decide to abandon a city
that has supported them so well
and so long.
Entitled to Better Team
1T is my view that the fans
of Washington are entitled to a
more representative team. 1t is
not my view that they should
be rewarded for these years of
patience by losing their major
league baseball club.
Those who propose to trans
,Ifer the franchise rather than
face the problem of providing a
winning team will be confronted
with my unyielding opposition
now and in the future.
! (Signed) H. Gabriel Murphy. f"
Griffith said in New York last
week that he was considering
offers to transfer the franchise
to Los Angeles, San Francisco
or Louisville, although he didn't
rule out the possibility of the
team remaining here if assured
a municipal stadium will be
CONSTRUCTED.
Griffith Issues Statement
Grif1th's statement:
MY attention has been called
to the statement made by Mr..
H. Gabriel Murphy, which has
appeared in the local newspapers
today. Although I dislike having
to do so, I feel obliged to state
my own position.
mo one would be more re-
luctant than I to see the WASH
ington clubs franchise trans
ferred from the District of CO.
lumbia. The memory Of Mr..
Griffith. who was a father to me
in every respect; the loyal sup
port of Washington fans over
the years; the ties Of thousands
of friends, and the many other
factors that bind me to Wash
ington, naturally lead me to wish
to remain here.
However, as president Of the
club. 1 must always have in
mind the best interests of the
stockholders. and I would have
no right to refuse to listen to
business propositions which
might be advantageous. With
respect to the overtures that
have been made through me to
the Washington club regarding
the possible transfer of the
clubs franchise to other cities,
I have done no more than listen
and to tell the interested parties
that if they have a proposition