The Kansas State Register from Wichita, Kansas • 8

a WwtawgfgjjWffai iiiHAi.iyrf THE BASEBALL SITUATION SSj This Is to Be a Season of Experiments That May Prove Expensive Opinions of Captains. pearl jfilayer, and no mistake. With1 Keeler in left field, Kelley in center and Jones in right the Brooklyns outfield will take care of anything. Mc-Gann is one of the most faithful guardians of first base in the league a good man, like Bill Everitt, of Chicago. Jennings arm is all right and he will put up his regular game at short.

"Daly will be at second. Grim is ft faithful backstop. We have others. I can be excused for saying that the pitching staff of the Brooldyns is the best in the league. Maul, the veteran who led the league last season, is still -good as gold.

Dunn and Kennedy, the best, of the Bridegrooms, are useful twirlers. Then we have McJames and Hughes, Yeager and Gaston, with afew more in sight. Poor New York. No one will stand sponsor for the Giants. Even the Gotham critics are divided.

The Freedman policy, as publicly arraigned in the papers, has left Manager J. B. Day to his own resources. Rather than yield to Pitchers Meekin and Rusie, Freed mission has fallen upon Messrs. Dump-us and Haw, Soon after our arrival the entire commission called on Admiral Dewey, in order to get His report on the situation and give him a few suggestions.

We wore our blue silk badges, showing that we were a real commission, and made fine appearance as we lined up on the deck of the Olympia and notified an oflieer that we were ready to give Admiral Dewey a few minutesof our time. The subordinate said we would have to send our cards to the. admiral. This irritated Mr. Haw, but Mr.

Dumpus calmed him and the cards were sent in. Presently the admiral sent word from his cabin that he didn't need any more help on board. Concealing his annoyance, Col. Spiggle sent word to the admiral thnt we were an investigating commission. Strange to soy, this mes mander and Mr.

Dumpus said: General, we are looking for the insurgents. So am replied the general. This ended the interview. We have given a great deal of serious thought to the information provided by Gen. Otis, and it seems to prove conclusively that Gen.

Otis is over here to transact business and not merely to Improve his health. As the soldiers seemed to be fairly busy, we decided not to hamper their movements or depend on them for any assistance, but to go out on our own account and visit the rebels under Gen. Aguinaldo. As nearly as we could learn, the Filipinos were in a jungle about ten miles from town. Several parties advised us not to visit them.

They said the Filipinos would not be glad to see us, and would not show us the attention duo three distinguished foreigners. These persons were mistaken, however, for the members of the commission never received more attention in all their lives. We were actually showered with attentions. Employing a small Filipino boy attired in a straw hat to follow us with a basket of lunch, we set out for the jungle. When a short distance from the city we halted under a palm tree and prepared the following address, which lion.

Jintpson Haw was to deliver as soon ns we met a delegation of the "white mans burden. Fellow Citizens of the Philippine Islands: We route as brothers to hold friendly converse with you nnd calm your fears. Do not be afraid of us, for we mean you no harm. We eonte to soot lie your ruffled feelings and prove to you that you will never be happy nil til you are annexed to lie Initial States of America. If you will lay ilovv it our arms and promise to be good we will see that each of you is given lie postinastership nt Manila.

Come out of the jungle, () misguided Malay 1 r.tde tour bow and at tow for a bi-ejele, abandon your palm-leaf costume and wear a summer shirt vv itii a striped collar in fact, become civilized. Organize political marching clubs und 1 a vc st raw berry festivals. If on knew bow much fun you could have as a colony of the I tilted States vou would be fighting for annexation as e.irnistly ns vou aic now lighting against us. The better vou know us the more you will like us. We are an investigating com-nnsMon all the wav from the I i.ited Slates, come to jol'y vou up and tell vou vvhv vou ought to be happy.

We are reach to answer nil questions vou may choose to ask, nnd if you have any grievances we will gladly communicate tlie'it to lie people of our glorious republic." We decided that this was a fli-t-rate speech und ought to have the ptoper elTci t. After we had gone several mills further. ol. Spiggle, who is very alert and Watchful, having lei-n a moonshiner in Tennessee at one time, stopped Maidenly and said- "Members of the investigating commission. I in 1, eve there are some Filipinos iu that underbrush over there.

We started on to investigate, but Is fore we reaclud the spot indicated several insurgents arose from Is hind the bii-dies and gazed at us with much interest ddrexs these benighted persons," said Col. Spiggle. With tiiat lion. Jmipson llavv re moved his hat, and, after making a low Isivv, began: Fellow citizens of the Philippine Islands. We come us brothers 'I hat was us far ns he pot.

that moment our fellow oil ietis liegiut to be st less. Col. Spiggle received an nr row throng'll his enp and Mr. Dumpus (lodged mi old fashioned cannon ball hat came out of the woods over ut the left. 'I he commission adjourned.

No one made a motion to adeiro, because none was needed We started for Manila to write out our icpm Hinl as it looked like rant we ran. Hr. Haw 1 ail an arrow in his leg, but that didnt interfi re with ins running. The Filipinos were a slant distune behind. They siemed us and in ar the test of the -pi tx but we had lost confab nee in 1'n at ami re.usid to wait until they cm Id catch up vv it li us.

Thnt ninp vv decided to i urry the invi no further. We are now ittv i st ig ng lie vv a and tin -ms of r-'-t iirning home. lueomliiM we would suggest lliat some one sink tl Ihil.p pines and settle lie hole emit no ersy (Ptgm it tsHixmi'N III.NHV HAKKHsUN l'l JUTS J1.V1 ril IN 11AV. After this exhaustive satement it seems to us that any report from the other investigating commission ill be superfluous. JOHN HAZELDEX.

l.eo Claim a Ht-eoril, Harry Leo, of Sioux Falks, S. now demands niehs in the temple of fame. He is the only man who ever rode a wheel across the continent nnu return. On June 1, ltiS, he left New York city, and wheeled by way of Albany, HulTulo, Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Ogden, Oakland and San Jose, to San Francisco. After two (lays 'stay 30 hours of which he passed in sleep, he started back for New- York, which he readied January 13, lie reckons the distance he covered as 8,212 miles, of whicli 3.985 were ridden on the railway roadbed.

His wheel weighed 24 pounds and was geared to S3. IlHKrantel, Perry Patettic I got a check and got it into one of them sleight-of-hund shows an the first tiling I see was a guy on the stage turnin whisky into water. Wayworn Watson What a dern fool! Cincinnati Enquirer. Trnl' Carious Accident. Two angry Sparrows were chasing each other through a suburb of Berlin, when one of them, in its baste, flew into a woman's face.

Its sharp beak penetrated eye nnd destroyed the sight. 5- I 1 i 1 SPECIAL arrangement and as the outcome of a most remarkable stroke of enterprise there is given herewith the report of a commission a pointed to investigate the present conditions in the Philippine islands and particularly on the island of Luzon. This commission must not be confused in the mind of the render with the cheap and one-horse body appointed by President McKinley. It is a special commission. It has not cooperated with the board appointed by the president, but has pursued an in The Investigating Commission dependent line of if'-eanh with the most startling results, as the report will testify.

Ibis is the day of progressive and enterprising jourt uii-111. We all know that two or thru mt tropol.tnu newspapers started the war. fought the war and are now investigating the href. After tiny pot thiongh in' stigatirg, 1 lie gov rn men may 1 av sometl to any about the In if hot not mmli. As soon as learnt that Piesi-dent Mek i It tendi to si t.d a i otn-mission to a i i to li nd on hat vt as the mattir own tlere, we (the tdi-torial dt ternuneil to nd a commissi on of our own, and get in a rt port ahead of tin govert mert.

The foliowiig gentlemen were seltcted as ronnnifMoner.x: Col. Washington Spiggle, Hon. William Henry Harrison Dunip-us, Hon. Jintpson Haw. These statesmen are too well known to require any introduction to an American public.

Sufliee to say that they have performed tlie responsible and del- Jcate task asigned to them, and now Bend in report which will indicate to congress just what ought to be done with our Asiatic KEPOnT OF THE COMMISSION, Consisting of Messrs. Spiggle. Dump-us and Haw, Appointed to Visit thelhilippinosaiul Find Out What Is the Matter. The commission arrived at Manila few days ago, after being nearly a month on water. They had never seen go much water before.

Col. Spiggle, the distinguished chairman, was seasick most of the time, and therefore in presenting this report his first recommendation is that the Philippines be traded for some piece of properly that can be reached by train. The colonel Iwas so ill for a time that he could not drink anything. This is the first time he has been in this deplorable condition eince he went into politics. He Is now regaining bis normal thirst, but in the 'meantime the heavy work of the com a I THIS year promises to mark a new epoch in National league buseball.

Not since the Brotherhood days has there been so much indecision, bickering, negotiating and fine work in the councils of the major league, os the enthusisasis all over the country have noted in the deliberations of the magnates this beason. Many unusual features confront the various teams as they take their last practice work preparatory to starting out for Ed-rvard C. Becker. the pennant. In former eai every club beg'iiit to win the first honors the moment thd schedule was announced.

So dilatory were the scheming magnates getting oat the schedule this year, ami so varied were the conditions in several of tiie rlubs, that critics read-iy struck ofT several tennis as having l.o eli.tt.ee whatever for the pennant This is to lie an era of evpi rimentii.g in the National 1 eigne, I vv clubs start the sea-on with a fuir pro-pn of la fore ti long schedule is completed One otlu e'tib, -aid to have in cn shamefully treated in the assignment of good (Turps of the schedule, is marked for he slough of financial dt spend The most optimistic league magnate cannot prophesy div bleeds for moie than four or five of the 12 clubs in the ngtte After weeks of delay, caused prl-niart'y by lie 1 oats muddle, the dirt i tor id the ngue concluded a most remarkable session in New York, by announcing the selu a tile for a 12 dub circuit, "Fans" had been kept in doubt to tilt- last minute vvhethet the ltague was gon to aiiamlou Cleveland and Ialtimore. That such was the purpose of some of the hudertv of the It ague is not dented 'I hey were unable to tTVct the deal without it gal difheultic ami resigned themselves to the inevitable, i heered, hovvevir, by the lugubrious thought that final etnl disaster might soon aeoomp'ish whntit.tr gue and negotiations could not do. It was perfectly lattiral thnt the problems discussed enrly in theyeir by tie National league magnates should create a desire to so arrange mutters that the league clubs could make money The desire to et ter into combinations rubs some of the magnates. The result is that the public vvll be given an opportunity this season to nominate he her it vv ill support James A. Hart.

syndicate baseball or set its stamp of disapproval on the spread of the trust idea to 'the realms of the national sport. The culmination of the great deals in baseball is marked by tiie transfer of the Cleveland team to St. Louis and the transfer of the flower of the Oriole club from Baltimore to Brooklyn. In the latter ease the principal owners of Brooklyn will be the managers and proprietors of the Baltimore venture, In the former case Frank De Haas Robison will be the leading spirit of the St. Louis club redi-livus, nnd his brother, Stanley Robison, ill be the controller of the makeshift Cleveland aggregation.

For np-pearance sake Edward C. Becker, the legal purchaser of the new St. Louis franchise, will be the active partner a ith Robison in the St. Louis venture. Rut the fans realize thnt Mr.

Becker is skilled in mercantile pursuits, while Robison is a shrewd baseball mam It is not difficult to predict that Robison, with his firm friend and financial backer, John T. Brush, will be the dictators In the Mound City. If half of the promises made by Robison for St. Louis, and Edward Hanlon and President Eb-bets, of Brooklyn, are redeemed, the public will have no cause to regret syndicate baseball. But should Brooklyn need a series to clinch its hold on first place, and should Baltimore be the opposing team, the critics would be severe in their criticisms were the contests to show any of the one-sidedness that has marked other games in the past.

So if St. Louis were to again become a factor in the first division, as in the old days, it would behoove the management of the new Spiders representing Cleveland to play first-class ball against St. Louis. Trouble can be borrowed in plenty for the National league clubs this season, but the conservative critics shake their heads and say: Mait until the difficulty crops out, and then the disease will provide its own remedy, While in attendance at the league session some of the leaders were asked to talk for a symposium. All ignored tiie unusual phases of the league outlook nnd claimed to be optimistic.

W. W. Kerr, of tiie Pittsburgh club, declared that his team was in a lottery nnd lie could not attempt to tell where it would land. "But I am determined that if we do not finish well up we will expend a lot of money for star players in 1900. Bill Clark nt first vvitli Rothfuss for a substitute, and illiams for third base.

Reitz for second nnd Ely for short, will tuako us strong in the infield. Pittsburgh will be (specially strong in the box. Stieli twirling ns Tnnneliill, Gardner and IlofTer, tried on the rubber nnd found good, will lie reenforced if necessary by Leever, Eosebroiigli, Sparks, Pay no, lonin, Gtiose nnd Rhinos. lean truthfully say that we have a fast team and that we should do well. Frank Selee, the shrewd manager of the I.eaneaters, is at Durham, N.

(., vvitli his Boston champions. In a telegram he said: Prepare to see the Bostons take another pennant. The team has gained in strength since last season. Other teams hove not been as fortunate, to my notion, and Brooklyn, counted us our most formidable opponent, is too top-heavy with stars to do well during the first half of the season. at her larke is my idea of fine backstop.

Pitcher Willis is ready now to pilch in a championship sent. Me have as standbys in the twirling department Kid Nichols, Lewis and Hickman is available. Friable, the new man from Kansas I itv, ill be a valuable fielder." President Hart's ideas of the Ipcago team and its chances are summed up in a few words, lie says tiiat all tiie new men were tried out last fall, and none is an experimental player in the opinion of Manager Barns. "1 look for a most btieiessful year. Chicago takes kindly to a winning' team, und I consider the addition of Do Mon rev ille nnd the new pitchers lias made Chicago a leader in the tir-t div ixmn i aee.

Dahlen, then whom tin re are few better players, will be as good in hi-, new berth in Brooklyn as anyone could have obtained. could use a pitcher of the first class and will lose no op portunity to sign such a man. Hie little storm over McCormick's assignment in llie infield will be settled by Manager Burns with the greatest amount of case vvlien lie lias had plenty of tune to rate tiie work of Connor, Wolvcrton, le-Montrevillc and McCormick. Tiie latter would prefer second base to taking Dali leus position nt short." Thomas E. Burns, the veteran who is watching over his orphans nt Hudson Hot-Springs, N.

sends the following terse nnd characteristic telegram: "Pennant chasing is not the order of tiie day. We will tell better a month hence whether tiie Chicngos are stronger than last season. I have all the confidence necessary in Pitchers Callahan, Griffith, Taylor nnd Pliyle, but I will continue efforts to get Corbett. Backstopping section strongest in league; infield will be fast, no matter which combination of play ers we make. Everybody' knows how effective Lange, Ryan and Green are in the outfield.

Wc are boiling out here and getting to championship trim. Boston only' team that looks to be stronger on paper. Manager Ned Hanlon, of the reconstructed Brooklyns, answered from Augusta, In some respects vve will have the most spectacular team in the league. Some will say that I am to be lucky again this year. It will please me if Brooklyn takes her real position in the race the top.

We have the men nnd the bats. So far the spring practice here has not been as good as we should have liked. The reason is that we have not been here long enough. The baseball world has confidence in Capt. Kelley.

I think that Dahlen at third base will startle the league. He la a little man bays he would close up his grounds. Without these great twirlers the Giants ill cut a Forry figure. The spring practice trip is doing little good. Seymour, Doheny, Carriek and Gettig are the pitchers.

Warner, Wilson ami Grady are scheduled to do the backstopping. Belligerent little Doyle will hold down first base, nnd his partner to the right is the other Oriole graduate, Gleason. Turner, Van Ilal-tren and Foster are the outfielders and Davis nnd Hartman are the choices for the remaining infield position. Earl Marnier displayed a telegram from Manager Irwin, who is with the Senators at Hampton, Va, "See, Irwin is full of hope, said theMashing-ton magnate. He lias 18 men on the pay roll nnd Ill have to break into the United States treasury if they do not do well thisseason.

eliave a good surplus of available backstops. Our twirlers nre Killcn, Meyhing, Dinneen, Dunkle and Baker, and they are inner whenever the team supports them Iadden, got from Pittsburgh, is a find for us at second base. Mercer, the ambitious and ever ready M'innie, wishes to play third base, nnd I guess we will have to humor this pitcher. Don't class us as unlucky, but strong this Benson. "Kindly say for me that the Philadelphia team is in good shape at Fouth-ern Pities, N.

said John I. Rogers. Mai ager Fhettsline is an old hand at making forecasts. Ask him what he thinks ot Copts Dick Cooley and his crew. All is harmony with the team, even if the league meeting has developed trouble ov er our rate of pay ment to visiting clubs.

The pitchers are Piatt, Donahue, Orth, Fifield, Ihiggle-bv. Murphy, M'heeler, nnd two or three others. McFarland, the former St. Louis catcher, will have two or three asxiMarts, Tiie other players will be: Douglas, first have; La Joie, second; Lauder, third; Cross, shortstop, and 'Home Run Delehnncy, Coolev and Flick for the outfield. It will Lie seen that we have pretty much the same tmm that we had last year, hut we intend to have more luck this ear." Oliver Tatsy Tebeau, manager of the new St.

Louis team, wires from Ilot Springs, We have the old Cleveland Spiders ready for St. Louis. We will stand for any jollying you may wish to give us. Until I have at inference with Messrs. Robison nnd Becker I cannot make an assignment of places for the players.

President John T. Brush, of the Cincinnati team, volunteered the following: I am not claiming any thing. Buck Ewing writes me from Columbus, where the team is practicing, that the Reds are stronger than last, year. lie is satisfied that we have a promising aggregation. Our twirlers will be llawley, Brietenstien, Hahn, Taylor, Dammann, Phillips and Zeke Vaughan and Jim Woods are the catchers, and McIhee, the everlasting nnd the great, will be seen at second.

Beekley nt. first, Corcoran at short, Irwin at third, Selbach, the new man, at left field, and McBride and Miller in the outfield positions, as formerly, will give a line on the Reds for tills season. Hope is John McGraxvs answer from Savannah, "Baltimore will be in the league, as usual. We are not crowing, but watch our smoke. E.

Q. WESTLAKE. 1 CaTs on Admiral Denx'ey. sage did not seem to hnve any We waited around for two hours, bim! were about to depart when the admiral came on dev to take a walk, itnl vveiqi-proavlicd him. Col.

Spiggle began the conversation by say it We have conn here to invi-st ignte the eoiiditnu in the islands. Have you all the ships and ammunition that you need for the resent Although we were standing only a few feet away from the admiral lie did not hear tins question, instead of answering our inquiry, he asked ol Spig-gle: tan you swim "Not very well," replied the colonel I lien you had tie tier leave in boat," said the admiral. With that he called a sailor nnd ordered li i in to clean the deeks." before we eould pursue our invi stigation any farther the admiral went below nnd the sailor began to elenn the decks." We did not like 1o be poshed around in that manner so we came avvuv. Since then we hnve had several meetings to consider our interv iew with the admiral and we have come to the conclusion that inasmuch as he is (1) forgetful, having failed to come on deck when we sent for him; (2) deaf, ns he did not hear our request for information, and (3) inhospitable, having instructed his crew to throw us overboard, therefore he is not the proper person to be in command here, and we suggest that lie be removed. Regarding lie appointment of a successor, we would say that Col.

Spiggle is still in Manila and could take command of the licet at a moment's notice if ills country sees fit to call him. Having completed our investigations on water we turned our attention to the land. Our main object in coming here to the Philippines was to meet the insurgents and have a nice, quiet talk with them and find out if there wasn't some way that this whole trouble could be settled without any further fighting. First we called on Gen. Otis.

Mr. Dumpus spoke for the commission. We entered the tent of the military com 1 1 MnJ XBB?.