The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-18
SCORN FOR POOR M'CRAY
TWO MINISTER'S DISCUSS HIS SUNDAY
BASEBALL DECISION.
CajOled and FIattered. Says DIR. Lucas,
Was the Man whom PeO-
pie Repudiated.

Presbyterian Church. and Rev. d. R. Lucas,
of the Sixth Christian Church.
are sorely disappointed over the de-
cision on the Sunday baseball law,
rendered by Judge McCray, of the
Criminal Court, Saturday afternoon. For
years the baseball fans" have known that
the two ministers were as enthusiastic adj
mirers Of the national game as any that sat
in the grandstand or on the bleachers.
Since the decision they have both decided
that they cannot consistently patronize the
game any longer, and in their sermons last
night both had some pretty strong senti-
ments to express on the subject.
DR.. Hunter, as a prelude to his lecture
on Isaac in the course OF Bible charac-
tiers that he is taking up each Sunday
night, touched on the baseball decision.
Poor McCray," said he Poor McCray!
He has but dug his own grave deeper. I
was in hopes that he would demonstrate
in handling this question that the criticisms
that have been made on him by the news
papers might be proved to be exaggerated,
if not unjust. A court can generally find
a way to decide a legal question in accord
ance with its own sentiments. You all re-
member the decision of the Supreme Court
VI the OldteS on the SAlSHSlOn OF
slavery as brought out in the bred Scott
decision After the Missouri Compromise one
court decided the question OF the extension
of slavery one way, but another court found
that it might be reached by another method
and an entirely different conclusion
rived at. am not qualified to say whether
the Sunday baseball law is constitutional,
but speaking not as a lawyer but lay
man, it seems to me that it reads plainly
enough. see no cause for alarm, speaking
from an ultimate standpoint, in the turn
things have taken believe that the Su-
preme Court will decide in favor of main
tanning decent Sabbath. But if it does
not, II 1t holds that Judge McCray was right
and that the law is unconstitutional we
have yet the Legislature to appeal to. This
decision probably means that there will be
baseball played in this city for the re-
malnder of this summer every Sunday that
the ball club Is at home. That is all. There
IS no cause for alarm. If the Supreme
Court does not hold that the Judge was
wrong the Christian people will go to the
Legislature next January The class of men
who have constituted the Legislature the
last few years is the kind of men that will
listen to the wishes and desires of Christian
people who are opposed to the rowdy ele-
ment controlling. l regret this decision It
means that L must forego my Saturday
half-holldays. l cannot countenance men
VINO VIII conduct an institution in violation
to the contrary Notwithstanding AS | sat
IN the ball park yesterday afternoon (Satur-
day) an announcement was made on the
BOARD That settles it, said men sitting
around me, Judge McCray has been heard
from. We cannot come again. That was
the the way l felt; Christians cannot counte-
nance men who have no regard for the
nity.'
DR.. Hunters remarks created something
or sensation, but his words were evidently
Endorsed by his hearers. Quite a number of
the members of his congregation are
patrons OF the game and they seemed to
think with the. pastor that their pleasure
must be cut off since it has been changed
from innocent recreation to a violation of
the doctrines in which they believe
DIR. 1t >AS DISCUSSES IT.
In the course of his sermon at the Sixth
Christian Church, last night, Rev. D. r.
Lucas said, concerning the Sunday baseball
question::
The management of the INDIANAPOLIS
baseball club has determined to DISREGARD
the moral sentiment of the city and pIay
Sunday ball. They choose to saw to the
men OF indianapolis who still have some re-
gard Tor COD and the right observance of
the Lords day, We have no use for your
patronage, we prefer that OF the hoodlum
element, for they will pay us more money,
and that is all we want. The morals of the
community cut no figure with us, so we can
get gain They went to the Legislature at
It's last session to get the law repealed, but
They then went to Judge Cox, a man of
some knowledge of law, ard he decided
against them. Then they go to poor Judge
McCray, a man whose erratic course and
decisions have caused him to be utterly
repudiated by the people, and by flattery
ana ca5olery induce him to make a So
caHed decision that the law is unconstitu-
tional. 1t is pitiful spectacle to see men
who claim to be men of honor engaged in
such course, animated only by a greed for
gain. They certainly know nothing of the
moral sentiment of the people of this city
II they think such course will meet with
anything but scorn and condemnation from
the press, the pulpit and the people
i was in hopes that we could keep base
ball on such plane in this city that man
who believes in God and has a sense of
moral responsibility to Him could attend a
game and not feel guilty of wrong, but the
present management chose to slap such men
in the face and say to Them Stay at home
game, but am done. | know they will not
care for this. They will call me a 'bigot,"
and go on. They will write all the sur
rounding towns to send in their hoodlum
element on Sunday trains. they will have
big crowd on Sunday, the back doors of the
saloons Will be open, the people within a
half mile of the grounds will have to en-
dure the noise and dissertation to the de-
struct1on or their peace and quiet and In
crowd Of quiet, respectable people who now
make up the week day attendance will go
no more, but what do they care for that?
1t is dollars, not morals and the approval
of good men, that they want. We have
Supreme Court left, but they waited until
the Supreme Court had adjourned for the
summer and could not interfere. 1t will
meet again, and so will the, Legislature.
New York city is called a wicked city; it
has many. evils, but it has never got low
enough yet to tolerate or allow Sunday ball.
1 would appeal to the conscience of these
men, but their course shows it would be in
vain Some day they will answer to God.
They may not believe it. but they will know
more some day than they do now
1.-The saddest men at the park on Satur-
day, when Sunday ball was announced, was
the men who play. They are opposed to it,
but what can they do? The most gigantic
trust on earth, the most unaccountable tyr
amy. is the present baseball trust The
player must play if he is ordered to do so,
or he cannot play anywhere. They can
blacklist him, and that is the end. He
cannot make contract. He must sign one
already made, or that, is the end of his play
ing. Any other employer who would dis
charge his men for refusal to work on Sun
day would be frowned upon by all good
men, but these men have bossed the play
ers so long that they think they can boss
the people of indianapolis. 1t may be for
a time for the mills of the gods grind
Slow but they will learn that they grind
exceeding fine"