The Richmond Virginian

Efforts Will Be Made to Get Local Business Men After Baltimore Franchise

TO GET BUSINESS MEN AFTER BALTIMORE CLUB

Mass Meeting Will Be Held Next Tuesday to Excite Interest and Get Influential Citizens to Lend Aid Towards Securing Better Baseball For Richmond.

In order to get the business men of Richmond behind the movement to bring the Baltimore franchise to Richmond, a meeting will be held here next Tuesday at some hall to be decided upon this afternoon. The committee appointed by the International League at the recent meeting at New York to look into the advisability of transferring the Oriole Club from the Monumental City to Richmond, in all probability, will sanction the move. In fact, according to Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore holdings, and William B. Bradley, secretary of the local Virginia League Club, say it is an assured fact that Richmond is destined to land the berth in the Class AA organization. At this meeting will be Jack Dunn, Connie Mack, the celebrated leader of the Philadelphia Athletics, and several of the International League officials. All of them will address the meeting and will explain to the business men the advertising that Richmond will get throughout the North by being represented in this league. Mr. Dunn was notified last night of the meeting here Tuesday and he says it is agreeable to him and he will be glad to attend. Mr. Dunn left last night for North Carolina, where he will spend the remainder of the week hunting.

Will Beck Movement.

The purpose of this meeting is to get the business men and influential citizens of Richmond to get behind the movement and push it for all it's worth. They want such men behind it as Alvin Smith, "Smiling Bill" Dabney and other citizens of this calibre to take part in landing the franchise for Richmond, thereby tendering the people of Richmond an opportunity to journey out to Broad-Street Park and witness the class of baseball that they deserve and would like to see. When such men as the above mentioned get behind a movement it generally pans out as they desire. They went after the federal bank, and they got over, despite the fact that other cities, even larger ones than Richmond, were after it. They managed to land this and if they get behind this movement they will succeed in getting the Baltimore club.

Bradley Working Hard,

W. B. Bradley is doing everything in his power to give Richmond better baseball. He journeyed up to New York when the International League moguls convened there last Monday and he put in a bid for the Baltimore club. Since that time he hasn't let up a minute, but has been constantly working to bring Jack Dunn and the Baltimore Orioles to this city. If Richmond fails to secure a better class of baseball it will not be due to the fact that Mr. Bradley had not exerted every available effort to land it.

An effort will be made to have a meeting of the Virginia League magnates called for next Tuesday at noon in order to hear from them with reference to allowing Richmond to withdraw from this organization before the big mass meeting is held that night. Mr. Bradley will not try to fight the Virginia League in any way. He is willing to offer the league $5,000 and the Richmond club to allow this city to withdraw from the organization. Whether they will accept this amount is not known. However, it is believed that it will be to their best advantage to release Richmond. If they refuse to do so for this sum then the National Commission, the "supreme court" of baseball, will step in and take a hand in the matter, and it is very probable in the event it comes to this, that Richmond will be freed from the Virginia League by only paying the draft price, $2,500. Mr. Bradley has offered the league a fair price and it is up to them to accept.

It is a known fact that the people of Richmond are longing for better baseball and, in all probability, they will be given an opportunity to witness higher class exhibitions at the local diamond next season.

Dunn Is Optimistic.

Baltimore, Md., Dec. 14.--Before leaving tonight for North Carolina on gunning trip, Manager Jack Dunn, of the Orioles, said that even if his franchise in the International League is transferred to Richmond, he did not believe the Virginia League would be affected.

He said he was of the opinion that both leagues could maintain teams in Richmond and thus give the people of that city continuous baseball during the spring and summer. Dunnie said he had heard nothing more about his franchise going to Richmond, but thought the committee which has it in charge would get to work on the matter at once.