MQ 



SPORTS. 



French nation was great. Under the treaty between 

 the French >ad the struggling American niition, con- 

 clude.) in 1778, not only <li.l the United States agree 

 to fight for the French in America, but they agreed 

 to allow the French ships of war to carry prizes into 

 American ports and there condemn and sell them at 

 all times. In return for these concessions the French 

 king recognized the right of the new nation, and also 

 gave such other valuable aid during the Revolution- 

 ary war as enabled the colonies to attain their inde- 

 pendence. The obligation of the United States to 

 laud by the terms of the treaty of 1778 was manifest. 

 The damages done by English cruisers to French 

 colonies, which American ships of war might hare 

 averted, constituted a valid claim Against the nation. 

 But more than all France valued her right under the 

 treaty to bring her prizes into American ports. The 

 American nation was extremely anxious to get rid of 

 the obligations to permit her to do so. It wits one 

 of the triumphs of Jefforson's diplomacy which en- 

 abled this country to free itself from the entangling 

 alliance made during the struggle for liberty. Taking 

 the claims of American shipowners, which were then 

 worth their face interest in gold, Jefferson offered 

 them to the French on condition of a release in full 

 for all obligations on our part, and the bargain was 

 closed. The American government had taken private 

 property and used it for the public good. Everyone 

 acquiesced. Even the merchants who had lost their 

 ships were pleased, because the American Constitu- 

 tion said, " Nor shall private property be taken for 

 public use without just compensation." In 1802 

 the claims were first reported to the House of Repre- 

 sentatives by Mr. Giles, in behalf of a select com- 

 mittee appointed for their investigation, and again, 

 in 1807, by Mr. Marion of South Carolina. These two 

 reports were a favorable statement of facts without 

 recommendation, probably on account of the unfort- 

 una'o condition of the finances at that time. In 

 1818 there was an adverse report by Mr. Roberts ; in 

 1S22, to the House, by Mr. Russell ; in 1824, by Mr. 

 Forsyth. In 1826, nnder the administration of John 

 Qnincy Adams, all of ihe evidence touching these 

 claims, gathered from the documentary history and 

 from the ample material accumulated in the archives 

 of the department of state, was for tlio first time 

 completely presented to Congress and never since 

 has there been an unfavorable report to either House. 

 The objections to the payment of these- claims found 

 in the adverse reports referred to, in the " views of 

 the minority " accompanying some of the favorable 

 reporta, in the veto messages of Polk and Pieive, in 

 a speech of Silas Wright, mode in the U. 8. Scna'e 

 in 1835, were as follows : 1. They are stale. '2. 

 That the condition of the finances of the country 

 will not admit of their payment 3. That at tlio 

 time they arose there was a state of war between the, 

 United States and France. 4. That they were em- 

 braced in the Louisiana convention. 5. That they 

 were embraced in the convention of 1831 with France. 

 6. That Congress annulled the French treaties and 

 thus effaced them. In 1886 Congress passed an en- 

 abling act allowing the claims to go before the Court 

 of Claims. The claims were allowed, but Congress has 

 no far failed to make an appropriation covering the 

 several amounts. The legislatures of the 13 original 

 States have all at various times passed resolutions 

 directing their senators and asking their representa- 

 tive* to take favorable action in behalf of (!..-. 

 claimants. It is estimated that, if interest be reck- 

 oned on the claims at 6 per cent., the aggregate 

 would now be about $80,000,000, as they will have 

 increased to 6 times the original amount. A few of 

 the undivided claims are as large as 850,000, the 

 average of them being about $4300. Most of them 

 Lave the necessary evidence on file. A very elabo- 

 rate history of the chums was made by the House 



] committee on foreign affairs in January, 1S81 (,">- 



';><; No. 109). ' (F. o. M.) 



SPORTS, ATHLETIC. This article is ooiili> 

 the popular American athletic sports. 



BASE-BALL is tlio " national game" of the United 

 Btates. Two sources ore claimed for it : (1) An old 

 English game called "rounders;" (2) a game fa- 

 miliar in parts of the United Stales, fifty and more 

 years ago, known ns " town ball." The weight of 

 evidence seems to favor "town ball," though that 

 may have been but a variation of " rounders." 

 "Town ball" was systematized by tlio Olympic, 

 Club of Philadelphia, organized in 1833. The pros- 

 perity of this organization attracted enterprising 

 Kail-players and led to the formation of the first 

 base-ball clubs, two or three of which came into ex- 

 istence in New York in 1845. The Knickerbocker 

 Club was the chief promoter of this development 

 It adopted playing rules, Sept. 23, 1845, and started 

 the game nnder auspicious circumstances. In May, 

 1857, the National Association of Base-ball Players, 

 composed entirely of New York club*, draf'ed ami 

 adopted a new code of playing rules. In 1M ; (! tl:n 

 Excelsior Cltib of Brooklyn, by ils exhibitions in 

 tours through the cities of AVestern New York, 

 Pennsylvania, and Maryland, gave an impetus to 

 the spreading popularity of the game. \\\ at tlio 

 Knickerbocker Club did in the earlier period of tl:o 

 history of the game in establishing base-ball on a 

 permanent basis, tlie Excelsior Club followed up l.y 

 their successful efforts to extend its popularity. 

 These tours resulted in the increase of the National 

 Association from twenty-five clubs in 1859 to eighty 

 in 1861. Meanwhile amateur clubs outside of tho 

 Association were organizing nil over the country, 

 and the game was becoming familiar to every Ameri- 

 can boy. Not only did boys take to the game, but 

 young and middle-aged men grew fond of it. The 

 old National Association had not been flourishing 

 ten years before professionalism began to find a 

 foothold in the institution, and in 1869 and 1870 

 this element became a ruling power in the Associa- 

 tion. A division followed, which resulted in tho 

 organization of two National Associations. Tlio 

 new bodies v.e:e tho National Amateur Association, 

 mized in 1871, wholly of nmateur clubs ; and 

 Ihe National Association of Professional Base-ball 

 Players, organized tho same year, wholly of profes- 

 sional clubs, a distinction which has ever since 

 preserved. From this time professional clubs mul- 

 tiplied rapidly, and soon the desire for closer organi- 

 zation sprang up, and professional Leagues, with 

 schedules of games to be played for various cham- 

 pionships, were formed by clubs representing differ- 

 ent cities. These operations did not interfere with 

 the progress of amateur clubs, which also multiplied, 

 and had their sectional leagues, seln dules of games, 



I and attractive aims. The only check in the wonder- 

 ful prosperity of tho sport occurred at this time 

 through sundry evils connected with pool-selling 

 and the "craclted" element in the clubs. But 

 these flagrant evils were opportunely ami effectually 

 dcstroved by the stringent laws of the National 



I League, established in 1876, and the American As- 

 sociation, a new body of professional chilis, estab- 

 lished in 1881. The old National Association had 

 passed away and these two new bodies had taken its 

 place. For some time then' was strife between them 

 as to which should have chief authority in the base- 



I ball world; each set up rules and laws of its own, 

 and the bitter rivalry threatened the destruction of 



I the honesty anil popularity of the game. But the 

 differences were amicably arbitrated in 1882, when 

 the National League, American Association, and the 

 Northwestern League entered into tho " Tripar- 

 tite Agreement," which in 1883 was developed into 

 the "National Agreement." The parties to this 



