Evening journal., 1915-02-20
NATIONAL LEAGUE
IN FORTIETH YEAR
Celebrated Anniversary on
February 2 Last With
Old Time Reunion
WEEDED OUT
THE GAMBLERS

The National League is now in the
early days of its fortieth year as Am
crica's best known baseball organiza-
ton It celebrated its thirty-ninth
anniversary on February ., having
been organized at a meeting Of mag
mates in New York City February ,,
1876.
The old Broadway Central Hotel
was the scene of the gathering which
gave baseball its real start as a popu-
lar professional game The National
Association of Professional Baseball
Clubs had been in existence since
1871. but the activities of the gamblers
threatened to destroy the game in
its infancy.
The National League Immediately
began a determined warfare on the
gamblers. and although those gentry
tried valianty 70 retain their strangle
held on the game, the league cventu-
ally won its fight for the purity Of
the national pastimo. 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 involved the
Louisville club. which had a food
lead toward the end of the pennant
season of 1877. On their last trip
east the Colonels lost 10 of 10 games.
all of them through the errors and
poor work of Devlin. the greatest
pitcher OF that period; Cravers, Hall
and Nichols. Telegraph wires proved
that Nichols. Hall and Devlin had
conspired with a clique of gamblers
TO throw the games and Captain
CraVers was also implicated. Tho four
men we're dropped and were never
permitted to play professional ball
again. All they got out of their
treason was 500 each. That exposure
practically ended the efforts of the
gambling fraternity to control base
lall.
Former Governor Tencr, of Penn
sylvania. is the eighth president of the
National League since it's organization
80 years ago Morgan c.. Bulkely.
afterward governor of Connecticut and
United States Senator. was the first
president, serving but one year. lie
was succeeded by William A. Hubert
of Chicago, 1S77-1SS2: A. G. Hills. OF
New York, 1SS3-1SS4: Nicholas T.
Young, of Washington. lSS5-1902;
Harry c. Pullman, of Now York. 1908
1909; John A. HeydlCr. of New York
1909; Thomas J. Lynch. Of Now
Britain Conn. 19l0-l9l3. and tho
Hon. John X. Tener. of Pennsylvania
the present incumbent.
The Chicago and Boston clubs are
the only ones which have held mem
bership i'm the National League since
it was founded The other charter
members we're the New York Mutuals.
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 wear
81 different clubs, including, besides
those mentioned. Indianapolis. Mil
waukee. Providence. Buffalo, Syra-
cuse. Troy, ~ ", Worcester. Mass.
Detroit. New York Philadelphia. St
Louis (second appearance in 1850,
Washington, Kansas City. Pittsburgh
indianapolis (second appearance in
1889. Cleveland. Cincinnati (restored
in 1S90l, ST. Louis (third ~ l.. APP
pearance in 1922, Baltimore, Louis
Vile and Washington. The last three
clubs. all representing cities which
had previously held membership in
the circuit but which had been drop
ped, were restored i'm 1892 and finally
dropped in 1900.
In the 80 years of its existence the
National League has awarded ton
pennants TO Chicago. nine to Boston,
seven to New York. four to Pitts
burgh. three each to Brooklyn. two
to Providence. and one to Detroit.
Boston and Chicago are thus not only
the cities which have been contin-
uously represented in the league
since it was founded. but they also
lead by a wide margin over the other
clubs in the matter of ponnants.