New Britain herald., 1915-02-02
0pOTtOgTaphy
 BY "GRAVY."
BY "GRAVY.'

1 The National league. the daddy of 1 all baseball circuits, will begin it's | fortieth year today, as it was or l ganized at a meeting of magnates l held in New York on Feb. ,, 1876. The old Broadway Central Hotel was 1 the scene of the momentous gather 1 ing which gave baseball it's real start l as popular professional game. The | National Association of Professional l Baseball Clubs has been in existence l since 1871, hut the activities of the gamblers threatened to destroy the sport in it's infancy.
 The National league immcd atcly ] began a determined warfare on the gamblers, and although those gentry 1 tried Naliantly to retain their strangle hold on the game, the league cNen- tually won it's fight for the purity of the national paStimc. -Four of the greatest players of the game had to be driven out and forever disgraced before the victory was finally achieved. This famous scandal in volved the Louisville club, which had a good lead toward the end of the pcnnant season of 1871 on their last trip cast the Colonels lost ten of twelve games, all of them through the errors and poor work of DeVlin. the greatest pitcher of that period; Cravers, Hall and Nichols. Telegraph files prove that Nichols. Hall and Dev- lin had conspired with a clique of gamblers to throw the games, ana Capt. Cravcr was also implicated. The four men were dropped and were never permitted to play professional ball again. All they got out of their treason was a hundred dollars each. That exposure practically ended the efforts of the gambling fraternity to control baseball.
 Former Governor Tcncr Of Pcnn- sylvania is the eighth president of the National league since it's organization thirty-nine years ago today. Morgan G. Bulkeley, aftcrward governor of Connecticut and United States soma tor. was the first president, serving but one year. He was succeeded by William A. Hubert. of Chicago, INIT 1882, A. c. Mills of New York, 1885 1884: Nicholas E. Young of Wash ington, 1SS5-1902; Harry C. Pulliam of New York, 1903-1909; John A. Heydler of New York. 1909; Thomas J. Lynch of New Britain, Conn, 191O- 1913, and the Hon. John k. Tener of Pennsylvania, the present incumbent.
 The Chicago and Boston clubs are
  bership in the National league since 1t was founded. The other charter members were the New York Mu- tuals, the Philadelphia Athletics, Hartford, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Louisville. All of the last six cities were later dropped from the circuit, permanently or temporarily. Since the first year thirty-one different clubs have been represented in the league, including besides those men, toned. Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Providence, Buffalo, Cleveland, Syra- cuse, Troy, N. T., Worcester. Mass, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, (second appearance in 1SS5), Washington, Kansas City, Pittsburg, Indianapolis (seCond appearance in 1SSS), Cleveland (admitted second time in 1SS9), Brooklyn. Cincinnati (restored in 1S90). St Louis third N. l.. appearance in 1S92), Baltimore, Louisville and Washington. The last three clubs, all representing cities which had previously held member ship in the circuit but which had been dropped, were restored in 1892 and finally dropped in 1900.
 In the thirty-nine years of it's ex- istence the National league has award ed ten pennants to Chicago, nine to Boston, seven to New York, four to Pittsburg, three each to Brooklyn and Baltimore, two to Providence, and one to Detroit. Boston and Chi cago are thus not only the only cities which have been continuously repre- sented in the league since 1t was founded, but they also lead by a wide margin over the other clubs in the matter of pennants.