THE BUTTERWORTH ADDRESS

August 13, 1924

Quayle P. Rutledge
Acting Base Ball Commissioner
381 Fifth Avenue, Sixth Floor
New York, New York

Dear. Mr. Rutledge:

We truly never know what brand of curve ball life will hurl at us, and it is apparent from here in my modest Southern Philadelphia accommodations that base ball suddenly has a chance to whack a fluttering willy-nilly of a pitch straight out of its park.

For as you may have heard rumored, a best-out-of-five exhibition series was played a short way from here on Sunday afternoon and into the night, pitting a team of eager big league stars against a squad of equally talented colored ones.

There; I said it. Equally talented. Whatever blind prejudice you and others in our fine sport's upper berths may possess—and I know that Commissioner Landis has more of this foul hatred and fear of a colored base ball integration than anyone—it would stand a fair chance of being dissolved instantly had you witnessed those games at Hilldale Park in Darby, or the one I witnessed yesterday at Baker Bowl, when a trimmed-down version of the Star Negroes wore the Phillie uniforms in place of their mutineering owners, and bravely battled the first-place Pirates in a losing cause.

There; I said that, too. Battled the Pirates. And all without incident in the grandstand and streets, and all without a shred of outrage being uttered, and all without the sun failing to rise today. I have discussed the situation at hand with team owner William Baker, with team manager Art Fletcher, with Negro National League President Rube Foster, and with White/Colored entrepreneurs Vincent Spanelli and Benjamin Wzckoviczy, and it seems perfectly possible to have these talented colored athletes fill the Phillies' shoes in our National League campaign for as many games as the base ball world will allow them. Judge Landis is unfortunately restricted to a bed-ridden, comatose state for the forseeable future, and while this may be a sad burden for he and his family, it is a glorious opportunity for the rest of us to step in and shatter the archaic barrier between white and black ball foolishly erected by Cap Anson and others of his ilk many years ago.

Let us call it "The Grandiose Experiment" if we must. I shall call it "scintillating base ball" and enjoy every moment. Messers. Charleston, Scales, Suttles and Beckwith, et al. are ready and willing to display the skill and entertainment a city as rich and storied as Philadelphia deserves, and a country that treasures its freedoms should be ready to embrace it. If we let this historic, God-blessed opportunity pass today, we may regret our blunder for decades to come.

Please consider this heartfelt proposal, and we await your response.


Sincerely,

Calvin Jedediah Butterworth
Base Ball Freescriber


Only National League game today:

GIANTS 2-5-0, at PIRATES 1-10-2
Typically, in baseball one can predict nothing. Unable to beat the Reds at home, the Giants travel to Forbes Field and Virgil Barnes shuts down the first-place Bucs one day after Pittsburgh had crushed the mighty "Black Phillies". McGraw literally shuffles his lineup slots and Frisch doubles and triples in the eighth position, sparking the 2-run rally off Kremer in the 7th that decides the game. Cuyler ups his average to .367 with two more hits for the Bucs. His 9th inning double followed by Traynor's single sends Barnes packing, but Jonnard gets out of the jam to preserve the win.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Wednesday, August 13
Pittsburgh Pirates	72	38	.655	—
Brooklyn Robins	67	46	.593	6.5
Cincinnati Reds	67	46	.593	6.5
New York Giants	61	50	.550	11.5
Chicago Cubs	54	57	.486	18.5
St. Louis Cardinals	54	57	.486	18.5
Philadelphia Phillies	42	71	.372	31.5
Boston Braves	30	82	.268	43