“This entire committee attended the first meeting of the A. A. U. After carefully noting and satisfying themselves on every point, they unanimously decided to join; so the Staten Island A. C. at once became a member of the Union.
“Later on, the Union showed so many advantages over the National, and had so many respectable clubs in it, its affairs being conducted on so much better and more business-like principles, that after duly considering the case, the Staten Island A. C. sent its resignation to the National Association. When the Union selected September 19, 1888, at Detroit, as the date and place of their championship of America games, the National scheduled its similar meeting for September 15, 1888, at New York, and, in order to detract from the Detroit meeting, empowered the Missouri Athletic Club of St. Louis to hold a Western championship on its grounds September 9. The Union, to show its strength, at once authorized the Chicago Athletic Club to hold a Western championship meeting on its grounds September 1, in order to establish a set of Western champions for 1888 before the National meeting could be held.
“As time went by, the Union representatives considered the advisability of taking some final action in the matter, and, after some six weeks’ deliberation, at a meeting held August 25, 1888, unanimously passed the following resolution:
“‘Resolved, That any amateur athlete competing in any open amateur games in the United States not governed by rules approved by the Amateur Athletic Union, shall be debarred from competing in any games held under the rules of the Amateur Athletic Union. This resolution shall take effect immediately.’
“The idea was to have the Western clubs and athletes recognize but one championship meeting of the West (that of the A. A. U. at Chicago).
“The National (or rather now the Manhattan A. C.) found it impossible to hold its championship meeting in New York, owing to the fact that all the athletes, with very few exceptions outside the Manhattan Club, belonged to Union clubs, and would not compete under the National rules; so a cable was sent by the Manhattans to the Irish Gaelic Team to the effect that the meeting had been postponed until October 6 in order to allow them to compete.
“In the West the two championship meetings were held, and those athletes who took part at the St. Louis National meeting were debarred from competing at the Detroit Union games.
“The Union Board held a full meeting of the Executive Committee at Detroit, on September 18, 1888, when the above resolution was again unanimously approved of. The committee also unanimously refused to rescind the same or to reinstate any of the athletes who competed at the St. Louis National meeting.
“The so-called National meeting held in New York city, on October 13, 1888, was, with very few exceptions, between the teams of the Irish Gaelic Association and the Manhattan Athletic Club.
“At the Detroit meeting of the Union, a committee consisting of Otto Ruhl, James E. Sullivan, and Fred W. Janssen was appointed, with power to confer with Mr. Cullinan, the manager of the Irish team. To him, after explaining matters, the following proposition was made, on condition that his team should not recognize the National Association as an authorized body to give a championship of American meeting, viz.: The A. A. U. would give his team a testimonial meeting whenever he desired; would give all the American and Irish championship events, and an all-round competition. His association was to take all the gate receipts over and above expenses, and the following guarantees were made for tickets: Staten Island Athletic Club, $500; N.Y. Athletic Club, $500; Pastime Athletic Club, $200.