The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-10-02
DAS CASTILLO.

A HlTCu AMONG THE BASEBALL CLu rs.
We have been furnished with copy of the
following correspondence, accompanied by
request that we give it a place in our CO,
lumnS !: "E
RoONs UNION Baseball CLrB,
RICHMOND, Va, September Ii, 1866.
Secretary Richmond Base. Bal Club:
Sir,-IIaving been authorized, ! hereby
challenge the Richmond Club to q match
game of baseball, single game, to be played
at any time between the 5th and 10th o
October, and according to the rules OF the
National Association. Please advise me
of the action of the club as early as posi-
BILE. Should the club think proper to de-
cline the challenge, you will oblige me by
stating plainly the reasons therefor.
Respectfully, J. +. DooLEY,
Corresponding Secretary of the Unior
Baseball Club.
The following was the reply:
RICHMOND, September %, 1866.
j. +. Dooley, Secretary of Union ase-Bal
Club:
Sir,-Your communication Of the 2lsi
instant is before me. l am instructed tt
state that the Richmond Base Ball Club
does not desire and will not play the
Union Club single game. We are not
nor do we expect to be, members OF the
National Base Ball Convention. Our rea.
son: we are Southerners. Hoping this
may be satisfactory, / am
j. V. BTDGOoD,
Secretary Richmond Base Ball Club.
We never before heard of the existence
of the Union Club" $50 called), nor are
we yet aware whether it Is political or
ganization or not. But we think the Rich
mond boys should have accepted the chal-
lenge, and exhibited another instance OF
southern prowess over northern boastiul-
ness by beating the L Mon Club badly.
As to the National Base Ball Convention,
that is entirely matter of taste though
if there is any political bias connected
with the manly game, we really "can't
see it," Our idea is that the young men
of the South, among whom baseball has
been recently introduced, should strive to
become proficient and skilful III the game
and as it Is an institution Of northern origin
Gf we except the old game of "cat, v
which is very similar) we can see no good
reason why they should hesitate to meet
the champions across Mason and Dixon's
line, compare notes, and endeavor to mll'
tually improve each other. Any other
course would strongly border upon "radi-
calism," and we arc compelled to discoun.
tenance it. From the same source from
which we received the above correspond
ence we learn that the Spotswood and
Ashby Clubs have accepted the challenge
OF the Unions" though no match game
has yet been played. If our informant is
in error in regard to the acceptance by
these two go-ahead clubs, we shall be
happy to make the correction.
Baseball is game in which we feel
much interest Qor is not the writer hereof
an honorary member of the Stonewall y
and we wish to see all the clubs getting on
harmoniously together. We would not
hesitate to bet on the Stonewall boys OF
Church Hill against any "Union" T" or
other club which may be organized.
Since the above was written We have
learned that the Union Club is entirely
composed of Federal officers, and that
their grounds are situated very near a
Federal camp. While 1t is, therefore, not
surprising that the Richmond Club should
have hesitated to play match game under
the circumstances, we still adhere to the
opinion that it ought to have been done
and we are backed up in this judgment by
several skilful players of this city. The
only objection that We could possibly ad.
NIT to such course may be found in the
fact that the Union Club requested the
Richmond to state their reasons for refu-
sing to play, from which it may naturally
be supposed that the " loyal" Club desired
to make political capital. We would not
however, have given them the opportunity