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Show Formation of New League From Ruins of American Appears to Be Inevitable By AL SPINK. CHICAGO, Dec. ?S. The strancest thins about this war in the ranks of the American league is the fact that Ban Johnson controls five votes in that once ?reat baseball organization to Charley Comiskey's three. One would suppose from this fact that Johnson was reaily a very deserving person, per-son, one who has done wonders for baseball base-ball and without whose goodly service the American league would cease to exist. "As a matter of fact." said one who has been familiar with ail the curves and . tang-ents of the American league since its beir.nins, "Johnson, since the very birth of that organization, has been excess ex-cess baccate to iu a sponge that took always, but .sa1- e nothing in return. "In the present fisrht he has promised all sorts of thmsrs to the five who are with him. ortd by promises is holding them together. "He promised to help Clark Griffith get cont:ol of and become president of the Washington cub. and that promise was made l-oo i a few days ago, when C-n'tith. with rmds secured from some hidden source, purchased a conrrollinic interest in-terest in the Washington organization and elected liimseJf its president. "The men who own the St. Louis Browns want to sell the controlling interest in-terest in that club, and it is said that Johnson has promised to find them a purchaser. ''In the hope that he will de-jv.'er de-jv.'er the pools, the St. Louis members of the American league are standing by big Ean. Hold on Athletics. "Johnson has always had his organization organ-ization adopt the Reach ball. Jn return for this faor V: is able to hold the vote of the Athletic club in the hoiiow of liis hand, lor the Reach hall is manufactured manufac-tured by the Rench company, and one of Uh rr.ernbf.-rs owns Shibe i ark, in which the Athletics phiy their parries. "Throu'-1. this influence the Athletics are able to hoM a pia'.-e in the American league year after year, notwithstanding tho fact that in recent years they have not benn above minor h.-atrue clas3 and have no rigiit on earth in major league company," "That's three votes for Johnson, owned and controllf-d by him. What about the two others?" said J. "CI'; eland and T-etroit are the two others," was the reply. "Johnson testified testi-fied in open court that ho owned stork in the Cleveland club. With that stock and what other stock he probably controls con-trols he is 0 bio to swing that organization organiza-tion any wny that may s'Utt his purpose. "The fifth -ard whi'-h he is playing now is D-troit. but Navin, the prf-sidnt of that organ izat ion, i;i not hand -uf fed to John:-on Iik l!:e rest. Navin nrts already al-ready had ir,tfrviews with Comiskcy. Ituppert ;i "id J "razee n nd has done his hf-st to bring thf-m and the other war-rf war-rf nv clans toL'-:thcr. I should not he Fnrprised to see Navin join forcea with the bU- thr''n at any tiri,-. "Xh vin, like ot he r members of the A merb-an b-afuc, has had differences wltii Job n son in the past, as hns nea r!y every other rw mber of that body, hut for some v a son or othr-r n has wn able to hold his job arid draw down his ?3u,0J-a-y.'-ar f ;jlary. Long-standing Dispute. "Tli--1 d if fcr' -ncf-H between John Hon a nd Coinisk'.-v arc of long Htandln', but wure ncv.jr open until the aul year. I'm ring the war tiu i e wti many t irn-s whfn the Picas of C'uuMk'-y a nd Johnson fj;t:-':'d, Tin're we o'f-ayions wiien fne v.'-nU-d r r;irtrili the pl;i.ving ,easop and the other didn't; tin:'- when one wanted to 'lose U; g;i''-.s and tie ofbr favored r arr'ing on. Th;re li a F.tory to id of .!obiiS"n fdng to Wahinifin In war- I time to do thlnrH that would benefit the! f-'arr.n a nd t Y.cn coining away without , V n'iv, i ne rcar v v;hfj t h ha d gone to : Wa-c in-'fon for. "' h'-fc hTi y, bcr-n bad !ood between lian and f'oini'h-.cy fcr a long whib-, and , !f iu't'h)i- r,vT wh'-:i ,Ioiin-ori put in )tH oar in fh'i Mavs c;i :-.. JnliriHon has 1 old li : :i '"'iic;. ; t-n t),ri t. he i firpol ng rh: r-iir-'h-J. -an-n'. of M.r for the rood o' the v in : and to pr rve dl.-j'-iphjie In !':' raih:-!. "I-raz.-'r (.a opr-idy dfd:ird that ex-cu.'i.;; ex-cu.'i.;; rn v irmch turn!; and oi her;i fire Kfi'iiding by b!:n on th.'if. woro. As a i::at i-r of f;i - ! , J oil fi"on harl no more rirht to in : 1 ere v. , I h 1 he a'd of I :os-to'i :os-to'i in the Mavs t-u-- thf.n wo'dd 1'ror.i-dent 1'ror.i-dent Wih-'fri hav- a r::;ht Interfere with an !' t Ion r'o-vii in Ala h;i ina." "'.Veih v. '.a I i-r- f'nt.UMf-y nnd the trio t".ux to do abort t r,,-k. r). 'Torui'-'k'- v con t ro! I i nt; f ' !, i c;j Rnp-)" Rnp-)" t cont rn'Uii'. New Vor k anrl Knizee f.fi t roil; ;t;; f :o- t on ha v- t ;, t hr-': wi n -Mi l: c.,r'l( In ih'hr haodf;,' waa the o,ulk reply. Trio Holds Trurrps. "Their bct plav w.nld be to rut. awav fro to the A in' r b-an " b : i;nc n e It Kt ;i ndn t fKla v n nd I al-.c jat org-t ul'a f Ion to J'du.f 'Ui a fid n il T':(i.'"i0 ;;:( a t y, tOa lu It the, r.r;i j I - n ht :mi - -I"! 1 r la wcui t It. hi b.vo;v'l in v. :Mi H;r !i ur.ori.. ;, ml To nil liii' t r .u i-A a n -I i i b ' d ; 1 1 I ' i ' i ' t Jint a ro now i, ..ri"t-g Mf! ' f":.lc It lo the V, . 'i b 1 1 r i ' ' i .mm. v- hb 1, ! . f, v.'oi h P.-,' . ' o;r ; t v hen a ! t ' f J',,, fir.' hi la pi!.nli'r f'.r II, aod "i..-. it to Hi'- Ath- j.'l I' V. I.o ("I' 1 he i..' I tin. ye.-, , H bd V-I,-, j, V'.f!.. ri. ' .ni' the y.w l' Mec "Til : b:.' ' b:-M .'be, jit. Vhe ., i) i i f I ' f oi-" ' ut I he l'i of t ",r.- In , (,: I y i" lO - ill II 'dr I Me I I , find li i : I ' i l.i I'e )! ,':m e re ; n- ij- ,d .In. In ),. Anierb :ui P.-,;-,... !i f - .0- -Id h .V I.I.II. ,' -,;-..' ' w.lri f ;.' ' h ' U' t l'.lf; but ,'. , " - f.-,..n'. pi Inr' bi the t I., i.i ,...( ?. :,M-h cm. id not have held their own against many of the Chicago city league teams. It's time, therefore, that the American league was shaken up." "If live ones like Comtskey, Ruppert and Frazee, representing live towns like Ch.cago. New York and Boston, are handicapped han-dicapped so that they cn nnot strengthen l the.r organization, then they should cut away from their present partners in the i American league and build up an organization organi-zation of their own. "Fine, live, wideawake baseball men, representing great cil ies, are ready to I join hands with them the moment they say the word. And if the b.g three siart t they will have a vaIkoer f.jr the patronage. patron-age. Their new organization will be so strong and powerful that it wdl rank right alongside the National league and ' be certain to work in harmony with the j Senior baseball organ izatinn." j "And then," said I, "what will became 1 of the present members or the American league?" "The present American league nnd Johnson will die a natural deatJL Two or three of He members will perhaps 1)0 1 taken into the new organ izat. on. The others will be given places in some minor league where they belong." "And what about the National agreement?" agree-ment?" "The big three can go along regardless of all agreements. They will be sj powerful pow-erful at the very start that all the fo.v.s of organized baseball will be giad to recognize rec-ognize and to work with them. ithout them there would be not In tig to the game, anyhow, for thy have been the central figures in it fT years, and will hold the.r places in the sun long aft'-r Johnson and his followers aro lost sit, hi of and forgotten." |