Clipping:A dig at Chadwick over printing the rules; Chadwick's reponse
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| Date | Saturday, March 6, 1869 |
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| Text | It has been customary, since the first meeting of the National Association, to publish its proceedings, together with the new rules and regulations of the game, in book form, for free distribution among the clubs sending delegates to the national body. Heretofore, for some reason, the publication of this book has been delayed till the middle of March or first of April. Why this should be done we are at a loss to know. The association meets early in December, its session lasting but a day or two. The base ball season opens about the first of May, generally earlier. We see no reason, therefore, why the proceedings of the National Association should not be published on the first of February or the first of March at the latest. In order to be thoroughly conversant with the new rules and regulations of the game, members of clubs should receive the book by the first of March, or even earlier, and not have to wait a month or six weeks after that time. We do not know what has been the reason of this delay heretofore, but this season the Printing Committee, as we are informed by its chairman, Mr. John Wildey, have been unable to procure the copy necessary to proceed with the work. Private parties, however, manage to obtain what the Printing Committee cannot. It is well known that one or two books are published each season generally about this time or a little later, which contain the new rules and regulations. These publications generally have a large sale, and are thoroughly read and digested long before the authorized edition reaches the clubs. We do not complain of those parties who anticipate the regular publication of the Association book and thereby turn an honest penny. It is a little singular, however, that while the Printing Committee are unable to procure the copy necessary for the publication, private individuals find it an easy matter to do so. It is a little odd also that during all the years this nice little game has been going one, no one has seen through the “little arrangement.” We do not mean to assert that the officer of the National Association, whose duty it is to prepare the copy for the Printing Committee, is in collusion with the private parties above mentioned. There is something wrong about the matter, however. Will some one elucidate? New York Clipper March 6, 1869 [Chadwick responds:] In the very full report of the Convention published in the Clipper in December last, there appeared an explanatory chapter on the new rules, which was better calculated to make members of clubs conversant with the amendments adopted than the publication even of the rules themselves. But again, in the Clipper of the last week of January there appeared a full and exhaustive review of the amended rules, expressly adapted for the instruction of players and umpires, from which all information desired by clubs throughout the country could be obtained, and doubtless it was taken advantage of by all anxious to [illegible] themselves upon the new rules. The fact is, the “Convention Book,” as a means of instruction on the amended rules each year, has been, for some years past, entirely superseded by the base ball books which have been published early each year, and now the book in question is of no use, beyond being a more official record of the proceedings of the Convention. Taking into consideration, also, the fact that there are fully 100,000 members of the base ball fraternity in the United States, and over a thousand regularly organized club, I think it will be glaringly apparent that 2,000 copies of the “Association Book” would ... [line cut off in microfilm] ...copy of the rules is not correct. Up to March 3d I received to request for copy from the Chairman of the Printing Committee, and it was not until I met Mr. Wood and that Committee that I was informed of the reason why no effort had been made to prepare the book, and that was because the minutes of the Convention, which it is the Recording Secretary’s duty to furnish, had not bee received. The copy which I was required to furnish was ready for Mr. Wood at the appointed place and time, but not knowing his address, I sent it to Mr. Wildey’s care, at the latter’s request. Had the book been issued in December, its useful as an instructor in regard to the new rules was forestalled by the full reports I refer to, which appeared in the Clipper during the week of the Convention. In regard to the allusions of “a little arrangement” contained in the article, all I have to say is that every entry in the record of the actions since I have been officially connected with the Association, is open to the public inspection of the whole fraternity. For four years I prepared the book for the printers’ hands, simply in the interests of the National Association, and this year I publically offered, in January last, to prepare the copy, so that all that the Printing Committee would have had to do would have been to have brought out a printer to publish the work. But, as I before remarked, the Convention Book is now useless, save as the mere official record of the proceedings of the Convention; the rules, &tc., are published in your paper, together with the full and complete instruction books, which are now issued every year, having entirely superceded it. Trusting this explanation will satisfy you, I remain, Your, truly, H. Chadwick. New York Clipper March 20, 1869 |
| Source | New York Clipper |
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| Comment | Edit with form to add a comment |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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