Clipping:Brooklyn and Cincinnati jump to the League

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Date Wednesday, November 20, 1889
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[reporting the AA meeting of 11/13-15/1889] [after spending two days deadlocked on the election of the President] They ...were still without a prospect of reaching a decision at five o'clock, when President Byrne, of Brooklyn, and President Stern, of Cincinnati, were called from the room by a messenger from the League convention. These gentlemen were absent about half an hour, and when they returned, just after the thirty-fourth ballot had been announced, a thunderbolt was thrown into the convention by the reading of the resignations of the Brooklyn and Cincinnati clubs. …

Mr. Byrne was also interviewed and blamed the “combine” for the outcome. He stated that President Von der Ahe wrote Mr. Krauthoff a letter promising to endorse him, but when he saw him in this city said he would repudiate that promise unless Krauthoff discriminated against the Brooklyn Club, which Mr. Krauthoff, to his credit, refused to do. Then the “combine” agreed to support Zach Phelps, not, however, until the Columbus Club had been placated by the promise of the secretaryship for Mr. P. J. Sullivan, of Columbus, a former employee of Mr. Lazarus and a war politician. “Finally,” said Mr. Byrne, “the idea was to force the Brooklyn Club to pay 40 per cent. to all visiting clubs, 50 per cent. for all Sunday games and 50 per cent. of grand stand and gate receipts on holidays. It was not the intention of the “combine” to make the Athletic and St. Louis clubs pay this percentage to the weaker clubs, but the Brooklyn Club was to be squeezed. Yet, in the seven years we have been in the American Association the Brooklyn Club has paid visiting clubs 54 per cent. more than we have received from other clubs. From Monday morning at 10 o'clock until half-past 10 in the evening I and Mr. Krauthoff were working tooth and nail for the Association. Then I had no serious intention of entering the League, but when I learned that while Mr. Krauthoff and myself were working so industriously for the interests of the Association, St. Louis, Louisville, Columbus and the Athletics were holding a secret caucus to try and down me, I concluded to take the step I did . If any man can blame me for leaving the company of such a set of men I want to know who he is.” The Sporting Life November 20, 1889

At present visiting clubs get 20 per cent. of the gate receipts for all championship games. The progamme was that hereafter the division should be 40 per cent. for week days and 50 per cent of the gate and grand stand receipts on Sundays and holidays. A private agreement,w as made, however, among the combine that they would not exact such terms from each other, Brooklyn being the cow that was to be milked. In the language of Mr. Bryne this was “unadulterated highway robbery under the form of law.” The Sporting Life November 27, 1889, quoting the Brooklyn Eagle

Source The Sporting Life
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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