The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-15
By A. q. Spalding

fessional baseball is conducted on a
higher plane than any other profess
sional sport in the world. Gambling
Is entirely eXterminated. the honesty
of the game is above reprOacb. and
dlSsipa ton among the players is
thing of the past 1t must not be
understood that all of the abuses that
had gradually Crept into the game
were removed by the wording Of that
constitution of the> newly organized
National league, for il took five years
10 convince the public that the league
was sincere in its efforts At the sec
ond meeting of the National league in
December. 1876. when Mr. Hubert was
elected president. IL became necessary
to eXpel from membership two clubs
representing the great cities of New
York and Philadelphia. for breaking
their contraCtiOnaI obligations. by not
playing return games due the west
eFn clubs. Both of these clubs. whose
officials had been the leading spirits i'm
the defunct National association.
thought they We're powerful enough to
break the rules of the new National
league as they had done with its pre-
decessor, but they did not know w.
a Hubert These two clubs We're
promptly notified to appear before the
National league and show cause why
they should not be expelled. Having
failed to Jolly" the thing through at
the last moment. both clubs became
alarmed and appeared before the league
for trial, represented by able lawyers,
while a. G.. Mills. who has done SO
much for professional baseball. aD-
peared as prosecuting attorney for the
National league, with the result that
both the New York and Philadelphia
clubs were expelled. This bold but
necessary act reduced the membership
Of the National league 10 five clubs
IN 1871. and seven clubs in 1878, and
it was not until 1879 that the full quota
of eight clubs was restored
Crooked Players Expelled.
At the leagues second annual meet
Sary 10 eXpel four noted playerS-DeV-
lin, Hall, Craver. and Nichols-for
crOOkedness, they having been tried
and convicted of selling games while
playing for the Louisville club. In that
connection. 1 recall an affecting scene
that occurred soon after this eXpUl-
sion. when Devlln. noted pitcher.
appeared in Mr.. Hulberts Office and.
on Bonded knees and with uplifted
hands, begged Mr.. Hubert TO rein
state him. Il ask this said Devlin.'
not so much for myself, but for my
wife and children. who are Frustrated
with grief. I am guilty and ought 10
he punished, but If YOU will reinSt2te
me and remove the stigma from my
family, / Will agree never TO touch a
so was Hubert Mr.. Hubert re-
piled:
"Devlin, this is what I think of you
personally (handfng him 500. but you
have been convicted of selling games,
you have dissraced your profession,
you have retarded, if not entirely null
lifted, the efforts of the National
league to purify baseball. and so long
as I am its president or responsible
for its acts you and your associates
in this crime viii never be reinstated-
50 get out of here and never let me
see your face again
From that day to this there has not
been a single occasion TO eXpel a play
er for crOOkedneSs, and the integrity
of baseball new stands above reprOach.
In 1881, ten prominent players were
expelled from the National league Cor
dissipation. which has resulted in prac-
tiCally eliminating this vice from the
game. and il has now become an es-
tablished requisite that ball players
must lead abstentious lives in order
to maintain their standard of skill as
players, demanded by the club officials
and the public.
Gambling Entirely Eliminated
Before Mr.. Hubert died. in 1892 he
had the satisfaction of seeing gam
bling entirely eliminated from Ethe
game. integrity of play thoroughly es-