Volume 17 , Issue 44

William Mcgill (1904) & Sunday Baseball Law (1907)

Here is a small sports article about this NW Okie's grandpa, William Mcgill, that appeared in The Wichita Daily Eagle, Wichita, Kansas, dated 4 December 1904, Sunday, Page 14: "Wichita Colleges, At Friends University."

Found on Newspapers.com

William Mcgill, Friends' Star Baseball pitcher of last year, has enrolled.

1907 - Sunday Baseball Law

It was in The Parsons Daily Sun, Parsons, Kansas, dated 22 January 1907, Tuesday, page 1, that we read news concerning those "Against Sunday Baseball." The headlines read: "Six Bills Are Safe." It took the legislature two weeks to grind out half dozen measures. One of those was the Sunday Baseball Bill.

Found on Newspapers.com The Sunday baseball law would be the measure in which the principal interest would center that week of January, 1907. This measure prohibited the playing of baseball on Sunday within the state of Kansas. It also prohibited theaters, vaudeville performances of all kinds, gambling or playing of cards, and eliminated horse racing. It was up for discussion in the lower house the week before but in committee of the whole it was referred back to the judiciary committee for correction of the committee's report.

At the time the friends of the measure and sufficient votes to pass the bill, and it was claimed that they still had the strength to push it through the house of representatives. The lobby against the bill had practically abandoned the fight in the house and turned its attention to the senate where it was hoped enough strength would be mustered to kill it. The ministers of the senate and house, and many churchmen were also importuning the legislators to vote for the bill.

The principal opposition came from the larger cities, and especially from the towns that support a league team. They realize that the defeat of the bill was the only hope for maintaining their baseball teams, as Sunday was the profitable day for baseball finances. Wichita, Topeka, Leavenworth, Aitchison, Independence, Parsons, Iola, Chanute and other towns were protesting vigorously against the bill.
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