The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-12
WARM BASEBALL
 HEARING HELD Ministers Range Themselves Against the Fans, and In teresting oratorical
 Tilts Result
LOCAL OPTION PROPOSED
Gay Would Send Corporation Counsel to Hartford to Favor Such Risl-- Committee Reaches
 No Decision.

Sunday baseball is bad the minis
 tsrs called.
 Then. how about golnhgge fans ques
 tioning bawled
 "Well. baseball 's noisy, and gathers a
 crowd;
 Besides. you are prejudced, answered
 they aloud.
 Then Bible tex.s echoed about city hall As never had happened since man could
 recall
 So. they wrang1e1 and argued dehat-
 ed and iawed
 Til every last alderman looked very
 much bored
 No one wno was at the city hall last evening could ever question the supre- macy of baseball as tho national game of America There couldn't have been much connected with the game that was not touched on Ii was the occas- ion of the public hearing given by the committee appointed by the board of aldermen to helr opinion on the pro posed bill of Alderman Cunningham in favor of Sunday baseball between the hours of 3nd o'clock The ministers were there, representing the pastors union. and were opposed 10 the plans and many other citizens were there in favor of it,
 The ministers had their innings first, though they insisted that the other side precede them An effort was made to have tho opinion -of Corpora ton Counsel Rogers read, which de- clares that these games cannot be made legal because of statute over which the board of alderman has no control Bnt if was in vain. Rev. Frank R. 'I.uckey. pastor of tho Humphrey Street Congregational church, made what ap- peared to be the first two-base hit when he presented the following peti- ton 10 the committee from the Pastors union in reference to the matter: Tn the Honorab ble Special Committee de i Sunday Baseball of the Board of Aldermen;
 Gentlemen:
 Your honorable chairman having given notice through the daily press 1 that all persons interested in the peti- : tion of Alderman Cunningham and others that inc people of the City oi i New Haven he permitted to play base ball within the limits of said city or Sundays between ? and 6 o'clock D. m. without being prosecuted for the Nlo' lation of any ordinance forbidding the same: we. the undersigned. a commit tee appointed by the Pastors Union of New Haven. said Pastors Union be ing an organization of the leaders q
  I all the Protestant bodies of this city would respectfully rall your attention to section 1869 of the General Statute' of the State of Connecticut providini that every person who shall engage il sport between midnight of Saturda, ana midnight of Sunday. shall he liahl to fine of not more than S5o
 Tn view of this statutory provision. would. in or~ judgment, not be within the power of veur honorable body [ in any way legalize an act which is crime under our General Statutes. tn latter being paramount ta any nrdi nance that might he passed hy tht Cit of New Hav-t Furthermore. the pas sara of S;ich an ordinance would q viclance to the wishes of the ChTistia people of this city Therefore. We woul respectfully request that your honor able body deny the aforesaid petition Dated al New Haven this 11th ia I of February. A. p. la6S.
 x W N WILSON.
 FRANK R bJCkEY.
 FRANKLIN KNIGHT
 Rev Dr W W. " Wilson made tl1 oratorfcal appeal for the pastors. H said he represented fifty churches an man, thousand ccmmunIcants. He sai
 ,,,ontirued on Second Page