New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-28
THE HARVARD POSITION STATED.
REPORT on THE BASEBALL TROUBLE WITH
YALE MADE TO THE CHAIRMAN OF

YALE MADE TO THE CHAIRMAN OF
THE ATHLETIC COMMITTEE
Cambridge Mass May 81 Cspeciar-The following
report 10 the chairman Of the Harvard Athletic Com
mittee explains fully the position Of the Harvard
representatives IN the recent difficulty about baseball
games They felt it Just to themselves that full
explanation should be made public.
Cambridge, May 81.
Professor j. W. White Chairman Harvard Athletic Com
mittee.
Dear Sir The Howard representatives, invested oy
your with full power to adjust possible 'ne
existing difficulty In baseball between yale ana har'afu
submit the following report:
In rsnonse 10 the request OF several graduates
in Now York we went to New-York, and met there MT
George Adee whom submitted the following PROPOSE
ton with the request that be would lay IL Oeore 1.e
Yale athletic authorities namely; That Yale and Harvard
following the precedent established In track atneucs
hod enter into nine years arrangement for an annual
series Of games of baseball and for an ahnua game
Of football that IL these arrangements should prove ac
ceptabe 10 Yale Harvard stood ready TO play princeton
hs year in baseball each college being left free TO make
such engagements pleased with other colleges IN the
utnre we suggested further that committee from Yale
with full mower meet similar committee from Harvard
az Springfield, May &C. to consider this proposition
In answer to kilograms from MI Adee ana MI
Camp we met those gentlemen at Springfield YESTERDAY
rbev however did not come with full powers TO act
for Yale but suggested that Harvard play TWO
games OF ball with Yale this year. and one Win
without considering any arrangements iOl o
future To this we could not consent We saio thas
~ making our proposition willing 10 assume tnat
Harvards undergraduate representative had given an
unwarranted assurance In March tnst hsr'aru "ou'u
plav Princeton this year; that such assurance was
reasonably believed by Yaes undergraduate representa-
go % no given with authority and that Yale, acting
on such assurance signed her agreement with Harvard
and subsequently made arrangements with princeton
which might not otherwise have been consummated al
though on all points there is room Tor grave oouo
Wa further the Baseball ACV1s0ry COm
mittee and the Athletic Committee were ignorant OF THIS
alleged assurance until after the receipt OF Yaes letter
of Nav @ declining our invitation TO play series Of
four games and believed, when the Undergraduates
agreements with Yale and Princeton were cancelled that
those agreements understood by all concerned TO
be provisional and subject to ratification by the Ath'
etic Committee, In accordance with rule OF many
years standing, which requires all undergraduate
schedules to be approved by that committee in order TO
be final
AS we were ready to make all the assumptions just
mentioned in favor Yale and thus to make ali honorable
amends for any possible injustice to Yale caused by our can
collation. OF the Princeton Harvard provisional arrangement
we only fair to couple with the settlement
OF the difficulty OF this year arrangement by which
diplomatic negotiations with all their attendant evils might
be reduced minimum hereafter. We pointed out that
such an arrangement only formal recognition OF the
esta blshed custom by which Yale and Harvard meet
in all the sports every year that both universities were
left with free hand making engagements with oner
colleges Yale objected 10 the hardship OF playing
two Of annually one with princeton ana Oho
with Harvard unless the latter also played two series
It would always be possible under this arrangement fof
Yale TO ascertain Harvards intentions before committing
herself TO games with Princeton We attempted also 70
make it clear that Harvards attitude toward Princeton
Is altogether friendly, and that no reason why
Harvard should play games Of ball with princeton
heraatr I'm the same manner she played with other
colleges; but that unaerably opposed to any
arrangement With Yale conditioned upon natural pledges
70 NAV or not to play with any third college Respect
fully yours, j. b. AMho,
F. w. THAYER
G. A. STEWART,
CLARENCE SMITH.