[SelzShoes]

Empire League Owners’ Meeting
“But as his brother I have every right to succeed him,” the decorum and tact of the funeral had now been replaced with much shouting and banging on the table.

“Please, the only contribution you have made to this League is second every motion proposed by your brother. Besides, we need continuity in Chicago to put that club on the south side out of business.”

“Mr. Hamilton, are you sure you will not take the position.”

“What, so we can go through this again in six months,” snorted Bertrham Farley of Buffalo.

“You sir are a cur of the worst kind,” Adams rose from his chair, grasping Thaddeus’s cane. “I shall teach you some manners.”

“And I shall teach you your place,” spat Farley. It became harder and harder to hear over the din. Hamilton raised his hands and demanded silence. He grudgingly was granted it.
“It seems those we would trust with the position of President among us have reasons not to take it.”

“What about Helmuth? I know Cincinnati is a battleground, but the fans are flocking to his club and not Von Schriber’s it should not be that hard to hold serve there,” Hartpence of Boston suggested.

The eyes of the room turned towards the aged man who begun the craze for professional ball. “Well Helmuth, what about it?”

“Well,” the old man stammered, “would I be allowed to keep the deal I had with McCormick?”

“What deal you had with McCormick,” Farley slowly asked.

“The only way I could afford to field a club was if he paid my expenses the first year, and so . . .”

Jasper Hallowell of Columbus leapt to his feet, “Why was I not offered that deal? I am losing money hand over fist and we give paper away to this doddering fool?”

“And I too could use the subsidies,” shouted Mike Mongan of Indianapolis. “Who decided this bull----?”

“Now we could not lose Cincinnati,” Hartpence began.

“But you can lose Columbus? Is that what I am hearing?”

“No, he didn’t mean that at all.”

”Why should we take interest in a league that cares not for us,” Mongan asked feverishly.
Hamilton slammed his cane on the table for attention. Uneasy quiet returned.
“Cincinnati is the home of a traitor. We needed to teach a lesson to Von Schriber. Unfortunately, you do not have someone taking our business away in your cities. Farley is struggling with the Association club in his town, but has the income to fight without any help. As does McCormick, or Mr. Hyde of New York. Helmuth has the respect of the city of Cincinnati and if it took some silver to get him in place, then so be it.”

“I still do not like the arrangement,” Mongan said.

“Nor I,” seconded Hallowell.

“May I suggest something,” Hubert Crawley of Detroit meekly offered.

“Please do.”

“What about Temple?”

”What about him?”

“Why not him as President?” The room erupted into laughter. “But he is unhappy with the Association, and having him would surely end their hold on New York.”

“I think he is on the right track, but the wrong person,” Hyde of New York said excitedly.

“Two of his commissioners have resigned; we could pinch one of them. Temple brags about the ideal of the Association; it would play very well to have one of them on our side.”

“You may be on to something, yes,” Obie McCormick stroked his beard approvingly.

“By God, this could be a masterstroke—Adams, send wires to the two gentlemen who resigned from Temple’s commission, one of them should take the job.”

“Since they will be in New York, I suggest Hamilton, Hartpence, Hyde and I conduct the interviews and be given authority to hire the proper man,” Franklin suggested.

“Bah, more Eastern influence, just what we need,” Hallowell hissed.