rather than corrective: it was not intended to disqualify measly rules that deprives a club of as good a man as Bob players who previously had been sanctioned. And, since it Higgins. .. ."Said the NewarkDailyJournal,"Itis safe to applied only to amateurs, it was not intended to deprive say that Moses F. Walker is mentally and morally the anyone of his livelihood. equal of any director who voted for the resolution." Press response to the 's color line Color line or no color line, the season wore on. Buffalo generally was sympathetic to the Negroes-specially in and Newark remained in contention until late in the cities with teams who had employed black players. The season. Newark fell victim to injuries, including one to Newark Call wrote: Fleet Walker. Grant's play deteriorated, although'he fin- ished the year leading the league in hitting. Toronto, If anywhere in this world the social barriers are broken down it which overcame internal strife of its own, came from the is on the ball field. There many men of low birth and poor back of the pack, winning twenty-two of its last twenty-six breeding are the idols of the rich and cultured; the best man is he games; they may have been aided by Charley who plays best. Even men of churlish dispositions and coarse Cushman's innovative device of having his infielders wear hues are tolerated on the field. In view of these facts the objection gloves on their left hands. On September 17, Toronto to colored men is ridiculous. If social distinctions are to be made, swept a doubleheader from Newark at home before 8,000 half the players in the country will be shut out. Better make fans to take first place. One week later they clinched their character and personal habits the test. Weed out the toughs and intemperate men first, and then it may be in order to draw the first International League title. To commemorate the color line. triumphant season, the Canadian Pacific Railway shipped a 160-foot tall pine, "the second tallest in America," The Rochester Post-Express printed a shrewd and sym- across the continent. Atop this pole would fly the 1887 pathetic analysis by an unidentified "old ball player, who International League pennant. happens to be an Irishman and a Democrat": Before the season ended there was one further flareup of racial prejudice that received national attention. On We will have to stop proceedings of that kind. The fellows who Sunday, September 11, , owner of the St. want to proscribe the Negro only want a little encouragement in Louis Browns, canceled an exhibition game that was order to establish class distinctions between people of the white scheduled for that day in West Farms, New York, against race. The blacks have so much prejudice to overcome that I the Cuban Giants. Led by its colorful and eccentric owner, sympathize with them and believe in frowning down every and its multitalented manager-first baseman, Charles attempt by a public body to increase the burdens the colored Comiskey, the Browns were the Chicago White Stockings people now carry. It is not possible to combat by law the of the American Association. At ten o'clock in the morn- prejudice against colored men, but it is possible to cultivate a ing Von der Ahe notified a crowd of 7,000 disappointed healthy public opinion that will effectively prevent any such fans that his team was too crippled by injuries to compete. manifestation of provincialism as that of the ball association. If The real reason, though, was a letter Von der Ahe had a negro can play better ball than a white man, I say let him have credit for his ability. Genuine Democrats must stamp on the received the night before, signed by all but two of his color line in order to be consistent. players (Comriskey was one of the two):

"We think," wrote the Binghamton Daily Leader, "the Dear Sir: We, the undersigned members of the St. Louis Base Ball International League made a monkey of itself when it Club, do not agree to play against negroes tomorrow. We will cheerfully play against white people at any time, and think by undertook to draw the color line"; and later the editor refusing to play, we are only doing what is right, taking every- wondered "if the International League proposes to ex- thing into consideration and the shape the team is in at present. clude colored people from attendance at the games." Welday Walker used a similar line of reasoning in March The Cuban Giants played, instead, a team from Dan- 1888. Having read an incorrect report that the Tri-State bury, New York, as Cuban Giant manager Jim Bright League, formerly the Ohio State League, of which Welday angrily threatened to sue the Browns. Von der Ahe tried to Walker was a member, had prohibited the signing of mollify Bright with a promise to reschedule the exhi- Negroes, he wrote a letter to league president W. H. bition, a promise that would be unfulfilled. The Browns' McDermitt. Denouncing any color line as "a disgrace to owner singled out his star , Arlie Latham, the present age," he argued that if Negroes were to be for a $100 fine. Von der Ahe did not object to his players' barred as players, then they should also be denied access racial prejudice. In fact, he was critical of them not for to the stands. their clearly stated motive for refusing to play, but for The sporting press stated its admiration for the talents their perceived lack of sincerity in pursuing their of the black players who would be excluded. "Grant, objective: Stovey, Walker, and Higgins," wrote Sporting Life, "all are good players and behave like gentlemen, and it is a pity The failure to play the game with the Cuban Giants cost me that the line should have been drawn against them." That $1000. If it was a question of principle with any of my players, I paper's Syracuse correspondent wrote "Dod gast the would not say a word, but it isn't. Two or three of them had

9v- 26j THE NATIONAL PASTIME