McCarthy's
failure to appear cast a damper over the crowd, and, in spite of all
that had been accomplished, I had grave doubts as to the successful
launching of the project.

McGraw and Peterson stopped at Philadelphia on their way home and had an
interview with W. J. Gilmore that was evidently satisfactory, as the
former wired me that Philadelphia was "four-flushing" and that
everything was off, after which he fixed up his differences with the
League people in Baltimore and prepared to play with the club there
another season.

The dropping of Baltimore from the list of League cities, just as I had
prophesied, followed, after which came the sale of McGraw and others to
the St. Louis Club, the terms of which McGraw has refused to ratify, the
result being that the snappy little Baltimorean will in all probability
not be seen on the ball field in a League uniform.

The calling off of the deal was a great disappointment to me at the
time, and yet, as things have turned out, I am satisfied that everything
happened for the best after all. The recent iron-clad agreement entered
into between the American League and National League magnates, by the
terms of which a team from the first-named organization is to be placed
in Chicago, smacks too strongly of syndicate methods to become popular.

In a recent letter from Baltimore McGraw and Peterson both strongly urge
the necessity of going on with the new association and getting in
readiness to place strong teams in the field at the beginning of the
season of 1901, and this is likely to be done.

That the time is ripe for such a movement I am confident, as I am also
that plenty of good ball players could be found to join its ranks.

The methods of the League in late years have not been calculated to make
friends either among the ranks of the players or of the public, and both
would gladly welcome a rival in the field.

It would, however, be a mistake, I think, to start with anything but a
strong circuit or to antagonize any of the minor leagues, with whom
nothing could be gained by rivalry.

If I could have my way in the matter I would place a strong team in
every single one of the League cities, taking in Chicago, St. Louis,
Cincinnati and Pittsburg in the West, and New York, Boston, Philadelphia
and Baltimore in the East.

Such a circuit would, in my estimation, be a paying one from the start,
and that is the circuit that I hope to see formed in the future.

There is on