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Show WOULD MAKE TAFT SOLE DICTATOR OF NATIONAL BASEBALL COMMISSION N.KW YORK, Nov. 23. Former President Presi-dent "William Howard Taft has been offered the posit ion of sole member of the national baseball commission, according to an announcement an-nouncement here by N. P. Hempstead, president of the New York Nationals, and Harry Fondsee, president of the Boston Americans. Mr. Taft Is said to be considering con-sidering tiie offer. Acceptance by Mr. Taft would mean the passing of tiie present national commission, commis-sion, which is composed of two league presidents and a third member, and. it is said, would shear Ban B. Johnson, president presi-dent of tiie American 'league, of the powers pow-ers which have earned for him the title of "Baschali Dictator. " The offices nf the new 'one-man commission" would be in New York. This offer to Mr. Taft is said to have been made without the knowledge o: western presidents of the two leagues. All of tiie eastern club presidents are said to have approved Hie offr, and this would give the originators of the idea sufficient suf-ficient votes to carry the proposal. The national commission at present has only two members, former Covernor John K. Tener of Pennsylvania having relinquished relin-quished Ills seat 0.11 the commission when lie recently resigned the presidency of the National league. Mr. Johnson and August Au-gust Herrmann, president of the Cincinnati Cincin-nati Nationals, are the present members. mem-bers. The conference between Mess-s. Taft. Hempstead and Frazee was held in this city today and Mr. Taft took tiie offer under consideration without comment. His reply is not expected for several duys. The proposition was considered in a general way with the details to be worked out if Mr. Taft accepts, as the two club presidents appear to be hopeful ho will. No salary was mentioned. Neither Frazee nor Hempstead would state what other American or National league club owners had been canvassed in the matter, but intimated that the proposition propo-sition had met with hearty support among a majority of the eastern magnates, who had been approached. After today's conference they made public a statement in which they said that "the man to fill this position at the head of America's national game should be a big American figure who had the .esteem and respect of the American pub-! pub-! lie," asserting that "baseball at the present time bid fair to be as popular in England. France. Italy and Belgium a; the civil w ar made it in America.' Mr. Tart, having always been a great lover of bas. Pall, would, be the ideal American :u the head of America's national na-tional game, said the statement, and added: "Our further iik-a. after discussing the matter with the different club owners, was i hat with one man as the supreme aead of baseball, it would pkice the presidents' presi-dents' of tho National and Amerii an leagues in the poj-kum of appearing I etnra him in tiie capacity of counsel re presenting present-ing their respective organizations." CINCINNATI, Ohio. Nov. "I do not know anything ahout it; there have been no meetings, and I tiae nothing further to say," Chairman Herrmann of the national na-tional baseball commission -said tonight when questioned as to the announcement of H. N. Hempstead of the New York Nationals and lbirry Frazee of the Hos-tnn Hos-tnn Americans that former President William H. Taft had been offered tha position as sole member of the national comm ission. ST. LOUIS-. Nov. 2:;. Phil DcC Pall, president of the St. Louis Americans, de- dared that, in his opinion, it was impossible impos-sible to proffer the national commission-ship commission-ship of the two leagues to former President Presi-dent Taft without first holding a meeting meet-ing of members of the leagues. "Mr. Frazee is only a club owner. l!ko myself, and hence lias no such plenipotentiary plenipo-tentiary power to act as spokesman for the American league in such matters," Mr. Ball said. ST. LOUIS, Nov. .Tames J. .Tones, acting president of the St. Louis Nationals; Nation-als; when asked his opinion regarding t'no offer, said: "This is the first T've heard of it, but I think it's a very wise move and 1 sincerely sin-cerely hope Mr. Taft will accept the position." posi-tion." CHICAGO, Nov. 211. "Fred" Mitchell, manager of the Chicago Nationa I kaguo team, said tonight that it would greatlv benefit baseball if Former President Taft would accept the national commission-ship commission-ship of the two leagues. B. B. John son. president of the American league, and Charles Comtskey. president of the Chicago Chi-cago American league club, were out of the city. |