St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-13
BASE BALL ON SUNDAY.
A Subject on Which ALI Minneapolis Is
Talking.
WERE THE MINISTERS RIGHT?
Some Blunt Statements Which May
Throw Little Light on
the Matter.

inspired by the best and highest mo-
tives in their recent attack on Sunday
base ball. No one will care to deny
that. In their way they are the con-
SENATORS of the public morals, and their
cloth gives them an influence and
power second only to that exerted by
the public press. But, In exercising
that power, they should be the more
careful that they are entirely
just, for, being open to crit
icism, they suffer accordingly.
Their resolution last Monday,
has impressed many people-good, law
abiding people, too,-as lacking in that
fairness and impartiality that should
characterize anything emanating from
SO high and respectable an organize
ton. A minister generally has very
proper and correct ideas in morals and
religion, but when he enters the forum
of the law he is very liable to stumble.
The ministers last Monday de-
clared, among other things, that
the Sunday ball game was in
contempt of the courts recent injunc
ton. Some of the very best lawyers of
the city claim that this is not true and it
is going rather far for the ministers to
clothe themselves with the ermine and
decide legal point from their own
or any idea of the testimony. Mr.. Good
ing claims that he is not in any way
bound by the injunction.
THE PARTIES TO THAT SUIT
were MeSSrs. Whitcomb and Foster, the
former owners of the franchise, and l..
M. Stewart, who owns the park. Mr..
Gooding was not made party to the
action and could not appear as defend
ant. When the injunction was made
perpetual, he was still not made party;
and yet, because Messrs. Foster and
Whitcomb made no defense, the plant
IFS had no interference when they
inserted clause in the injunc-
ton, to cover any one who might
succeed Foster and WhitcOmb.
Mr.. GOoding has been advised he is not
enjOined and he has continued the game
by the advice of carefully selected cOun-
better, but the probabilities are the
other way. If new proceeding is in
Stituted Mr.. GOOding is confident an in
junction will not be issued. An opinion
has been promulgated by one of the
most learned judges in Nebraska refuS-
ing just such an injunction. He held that
an injunction is an extraordinary writ
and shall not issue in such a case when
the criminal arm of the law can be re-
lied upon. While this proceeding was
pending. one of the ablest ministers in
Omaha preached sermon in which he
fully Endorsed Sunday base ball and de-
Tended it from the attacks from the pull
pit and the fanatic alike. So that not
only judges, but ministers, disagree on
this subject. Recently Minneapolis
clergyman preached sermon in which
he attacked base ball as
VILE AT ANY TIME,
and denounced it as brutal sport,
where empty-headed men of muscle
threw ball about the ground, while
empty-headed men with money bet On
them. On the other hand, Rev. Fred
II. Gates. of the Central Baptist church,
was regular attendant at the game,
and declared it to be wholesome, pOpu-
lar and enjoyable. A glance through
the grand stand any day will show it to
be largely occupied by representative
men of Minneapolis, including the best
types of the legal and medical profess
SiOnS and the various mercantile pur-
suits.
AS to Sunday games, the matter
ilSut dS Noll NC loohou SqudIely III Tie
face. The people demand Sunday
games, and Mir. Gooding is determined
TO give them. He has taken every pre-
caution to make the grounds pleasant
and attractive, and there is no sus~
picion of disorder or disturbance. For
two hours each Sunday afternoon sew
eral people go down to that COM
paratively deserted locality and
enjoy the harmless amusement.
Other people cOngregate at the
the lakes, at the falls, at the theaters
concerts and gymnastic exhibitions,
and there is no thought of interference
with an injunction. Last Sunday
seven other games of ball were played,
but the ministers paid no attention to
them. When the season opened Mr..
Gooding invited the ministers to attend.
and they should have taken advantage
worth year of theory, and
they would gain new and improved
ideas on the subject. They would Oh
serve the keen relish with which the
worker of the week day enjoyed the re-
taxation of the game. They would note
the perfect order and the entire absence
of anything that could offend. They
would also remark the fact that several
members of the Catholic clergy have ac-
cepted passes and are in daily attend
ance at the games.
Is 1T A NUISANCE?
The East Side Register has an eX-
hauStive editorial indorsing Sunday ball
games. of which the following is per-
tinent and timely portion:
I'VE are loss to account for the
action of the court in holding Sunday
base ball in Minneapolis a nuisance.
Certainly the gathering of the people
inside of the fence can be no nuisance,
nor can these people annoy others by
simply congregating. If so, all gath
eringS at churches, halls, theaters, etc,
must be nuiSanceS. The nuisance must
consist then of great noise, unseemly
disturbance of the peace and quiet of peo-
pie living in the neighborhOOd, and the
mere act of playing ball is neither noisy
nor conspicuous. Only those On the
grounds can in any manner see the
game. We can think of no sense in
which the game of base ball can be a
nuisance except that the people drawn
thither make an unSeemly disturbance
by shouting. 1t would be large
crowd on the Minneapolis grounds
that could make itself heard above the
,,.reamlng and powerful exhausts of
: Gle score of switch engines constantly
at work, Sundays as well as other days,
on the tracks at this place. There are
10 disturbances of the character in
Dictated at the games in this city. There
is no church in the city that attracts
one-fifth as large congregation, or one
composed of better class of men.
They are not all saints who attend base
ball games OH Sunday, whatever may
be the character of those at
tending church. But it is an
eminently respectable class that visits
the Sunday games nevertheless. There
is not as much noise as is found
at the best regulated camp meetings.
There are few people living in the
vicinity. There is not a house within
many blocks of the grounds on three
sides. 1t is locality where even the
calls of the lImnire can Scarcalu he