Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-07-22
SUNDAY BASE Ball.
The View Taken Of the Matter by
the Managers Of the Game
and MANY Others.


The JOURNAL being the only
paper with the requisite courage or
disposition to give fair and
impartial hearing on this question,
which is now becoming an impor-
tant one i'm the community, it is de-
determined that the pros and cons
VIII be recited without malice or
favoritism. It's representatives have
therefore talked with the managers
of the baseball ground and listened
to their line of reasoning and the
reasons upon which they rely for
justification.
They say that inasmuch as it is
admitted on every hand that the
game Of baseball, in itself, is not sim
ful, is recognized as a perfectly
legitimate and harmless amusement,
there can be no valid objection to il
except I'm the manner conducted.
They claim the Salem grounds are
conducted upon strictly moral
principles. The grounds are not al.
lowed to be used or any purposes
only baseball; no stakes are played
for. no purses and no betting is per
mitted on the grounds as far as the
management has control; no in
toxicating liquors are allowed
to be sold or handled on the
grounds, nor are they allowed
to players; the grounds are
outside the city limits; are en-
closed by high close fences, dis
tance from any residences, and are
therefore source of disturbance to
nobody who desires to keep away
from them.
To the argument that the games
are a desecration of the Sabbath, the
management answers that they are
demanded by large class of people
who believe there is no harm in such
amusement in the afternoon Of Sun
day, and who could not, without
injury TO themselves and families,
attend them any other day of the
week 1t is also claimed that many
of those males who attend these
sunday afternoon games, would
otherwise be found in the back
rooms Of saloons gambling and
drinking, and that therefore they
are much better off as spectators Of
ball game. This view has been ad-
vanced to the news gatherer by sew
eral citizens not interested IN the
games and has Il strong Influence in
their favor, but on the other hand,
there are many close observers who
urge that the excitement of the
game, the result Of side betting, the
enth usiasm of success or the cha /
grin of defeat, result in more de- /
termined resort to the saloons and f.
call for its commodities after the .
game is over, and that thi, accounts .
for the late hours and noisy behavior
which have been noticeable ia the
city the past few Sundays.
Thus the matter stands. 4 large
portion of our people, and particu-
larly the mothers of the commu-
nifty, are convinced the Sunday
games are great source of danger
10 the morals of the youth, a desc ,
'ration of the Lords day and a
scandal to the fair name of the city.
On the other hand there are count
ess numbers who see no harm in
them, who enjoy them immensely,
md some who think them actually
beneficial from the standpoint above I
{
The JOURNAL has faith that in
his intelligent, liberal age, such i
can be anicably settled t
Without trampling on the rights or
ceilings Of any. The agitation go e
ng on will do no harm, but may re-
ult in good, 1t may be the cause
f bringing on healthy recognition n
f divine precspts deserving respect +
al observance, and perhaps it may
timulale the enforcement of statu-
Ory enactments whose existence :
GEMS to have been forgotten in
lany ins tances.