When Baseball Went White: Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Dreams of a National Pastime

7. Philadelphia: Permanent Solutions

137 Chapter7 Philadelphia Permanent Solutions Although many clubs played, there was no question about which baseball club was Philadelphia’s most powerful; the Athletics reigned supreme. The club won more games, brought in greater revenues, and had more influence in the baseball world than any other Philadelphia club. The Athletic Club also served as the unlikely catalyst for discussions about race relations and baseball. Thomas Fitzgerald, as president of the Athletic Club, had emerged as a vocal proponent of racial equality. This radicalism likely led to his ouster from the Athletic Club in 1866. Still, in 1869 Fitzgerald, working with Catto, helped organize an interracial baseball game in Philadelphia for the first time. The Athletics , for their part, refused to participate in such contests. As the decade of the 1870s dawned, the traditions of baseball became more entrenched. Rules and laws on race began supplanting customs and unspoken norms.1 Whereas in many cases complex factors continued to coalesce and shape race relations in Philadelphia, simple violence also pushed segregation forward.2 Philadelphia’s racial violence stemmed, in part, from blacks and whites living in close proximity. Although the Pythians, as members of the upper crust of black society in Philadelphia, faced fewer direct violent threats than most black Philadelphians, it took only one pointed instance of violence against a black baseball player to severely undercut the progress that had been achieved by the Pythians. Catto’s Success By 1870 Octavius Catto had secured his place in Philadelphia society. Playing for the Pythians made Catto an accomplished, and somewhat famous, athlete. Teaching at the Institute for Colored Youth allowed 138 new realities entrenched, the 1870s Catto to work toward improving the black community. Membership in organizations such as the Liberty Hall Association certified Catto as an intellectual.3 In short, Catto had an impressive résumé. To know Octavius Catto was to respect him—at least until race was considered. Thus, it made sense that when officials in Washington dc began their search for a superintendent to lead their embryonic black school system , they targeted Catto. Catto’s reputation and credentials made him a desirable hire. The question of whether to leave Philadelphia for Washington dc was a complicated one for Catto. Catto had strong ties to Philadelphia , not the least of which included the Pythian Base Ball Club. He also had a decadelong tenure at the icy and had risen to the position of assistant principal.4 Less tangibly, Philadelphia had provided Catto with the educational opportunities and relative freedom to flourish once the Civil War ended. And certainly Catto had close friends in the city. When Catto traveled outside of Philadelphia, for example, he frequently wrote to Jacob C. White Jr., often urging that his longtime friend “drop me a line immediately, will you?”5 The task of reforming Washington’s black schools would take a Herculean effort. But it was a noble challenge. Catto did some preliminary research on the position and the Washington dc school system for black children. He found black Washingtonians to be passionate about education, but also uncovered some troubling trends, such as $1,859.77 in unaccounted-for expenses in the previous year’s budget.6 Further complicating Catto’s decision, a groundswell of opposition against his candidacy arose in Washington dc. Politics and partisan turf came into play here. A handful of prominent black Washingtonians, probably led by John F. Cook, backed another candidate. Catto received “threatening letters” that made him question the safety of relocating to dc. Reports also came to Catto that a contingent of black men who “had sold themselves body and soul to the Devil and the Democratic Party” would complicate the reforming process.7 After much consideration, Catto accepted the Washington dc position—sort of. Catto wanted the job. The new post was a significant promotion and presented to Catto the opportunity to shape black education in the nation’s capital. Unfortunately, though, Catto could not convince the icy to allow him to break his contract. So, strangely, philadelphia: permanent solutions 139 Catto signed on to serve for one month as the educational czar of black Washington. Catto accomplished much in this short tenure. According to the New National Era, Catto “organized the Washington schools completely, graded them,” and placed everything “upon a firm footing” during his one month of service. Then Catto went back to Philadelphia. Although his situation was not nearly as...