Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-03

I hC hiVidA NiAN bhSoiNhA 49, VI
baseball, which lend such fascination
to the great American public, whether
old or young, are graphically set forth
in the following address Of A. G..
! Spalding, given recently before an ath-
letic league i'm Chicago. An interest
! ing resume of the games history from
J its inception years ago Is embodied in
] the address,.
/ Baseball is of American origin. was
| born in New York city, and the first
! baseball ground was located about
| where Madison square now stands.
| Back In 1S42 a few Of the young busi-
ness men of New York began to assem-
| BILE every afternoon on these grounds to
| play what they called baseball In 1S45
these same young men organized the
! original Knickerbocker baseball club
of New York, the first baseball club
ever organized. This club printed the
first playing rules in 1S45, and 1t may
interest you to know that the present
game of baseball could today be played
under these same rules with a few
minor changes, showing that the main
underlying rinciples of the game have
not changed from that day to this.
Five years later. in 1850, the Gotham
and Empire clubs of New York were
organized, and then began rival match
games between clubs. In 1867 a con-
vention Of baseball players was held in
New York, which resulted in the first
National Association of Amateur Base
ball Players in 1858, with total MEM
bership of about twenty-five clubs, all
from New York city or the immediate
vicinity.
This national organization gave a
great impetus to the game and clubs
began forming in other cities.
Game Launched
The game had become we'll launched
when the Civil War began in 1861. The
New York baseball players of that pc
riod were among the first to respond to
President Lincoln's call for troops, and
they took their baseball accouterments
with them, and thus was the game in
troduced into the army, where it soon
became a favorite camp pastime,
Every regiment had its baseball team
and the monotony of camp life was
very much relieved by match games of
baseball. In some unaccountable man.
ner the new game found Its way over
into the Confederate lines, and while
these two magnificent armies could not
agree upon national policies, they could
agree upon baseball. At the close of
the Civil War in 1865 the soldiers of
both armies in returning to their homes
disseminated baseball throughout the
nation, so you can see that baseball
has it's patriotic side and became the
national game of America through the
efforts Of these batte-scarred veterans
of the Civil War.
These returning veterans became the
baseball instructors to the youths of
that period, and 1 happened to be one
of those youths that caught the baseball
fever at that time.
| Baseball thus introduced throughout
the country became furore, and near
ly every city, town and hamlet had It's
baseball club.
The rivalry between cities became in
tense and any young man with base
ball skill was eagerly sought for by
wealthy clubs.
Every possible effort was made at
this period to keep the game on
strictly amateur basis, but the demand
of the public for high degree of play
ing skill, together with the growing
tendency to gamble on the result of the
games, produced a sort of yelled pro-
fessonalism which continued in vogue
until 1871, when the first professional
association of baseball players was or
ganized, since which time the game
has been governed by the professional
| element.
At Deaths Door
The tendency for gambling on the
! gaines lIldl ildu diiSCh eA'N
previous ANA teur period blossomed out
| into full bloom during 1871 to 1875.
| Baseball pool rooms sprung up in
every large city and were permitted on
the baseball grounds. with the result
which always happens when the gam
bling fraternity get possession of any
athletic sport, the public interest began
to wane, players were accused of throw
ing games, and at the close OF 1873
baseball was near deaths door.
AS usually happens In this country
when a public institution-and baseball
is a public nstitution-becomeS so bad
and intolerable to the better element
in the community, something or some
body invaria bly, appears that can set
things right again, and at this crucial
period in baseball affairs there arose
man equal to the emergency in the
person of the late William A. Hubert
of Chicago, who is frequently referred
to as 1.-The man who saved the life of
baseball"
1t was my good fortune to be closely
associated with Mr.. Hurlbert in his
baseball reconstruction work, and to
assist him in preparing the original
constitution of the National league,
which was organized in 1876, and has
ever since been a very important factor
in the government and development OF
baseball Ihrougn lnls new OTBdnlhd-
tion pool rooms were abolished from the
grounds, public betting on the game
was prohibited and state legislatures
were Induced to pass laws prohibiting
baseball pool rooms In all large cities.
Liquor selling on all league grounds
was no longer permitted; and every
thing possible was done to remove all
Objectionable features from the game
1t was a hard fight and there were
many discouragements for 1T was like
pulling ones self by the boot straps
out of deep mud. In the first year of
the National league it became neces-
sary to expell two of the most prom
inent clubs-New York and Philadel-
phi.-for failing to fulfill their con-
tractural obligations to the league, and
there has never been occasion since to-
expel a club for similar offense. Two
years afterward four prominent play
ers were accused and convicted Of
throwing games in the interest Of
themselves and certain gamblers, and
they were promptly expelled and never
reinstated. and from that day to this
not a single player has been convicted