A Training-School For The Browns

When it was first proposed to establish a Western Association club in St. Louis, objection was made to such location on the ground that Von der Ahe would use it as a training-school for the Browns, and would feel at liberty to cull from it any time when the senior organization betrayed weakness. Tom Loftus and Comiskey, who, with Von der Ahe, are factors in the new association, have given emphatic assurance that the policy hinted at would not be resorted to under any circumstances.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 25, 1887

The context of this was a meeting of the Western Baseball Association that was being held in Chicago on October 26, during which a decision was to be made on whether St. Louis or Lincoln, Nebraska, would enter the league.

I've written about the relationship between the Browns and the St. Louis Whites before and it's clear that Von der Ahe used the Whites as a farm club for his major league team. So the assurances that were given to get the club into the Western Association were either not kept or not sincere. Also, I think this is the first time I've seen Comiskey's name tied to the club and I'm not sure what his role was in the organization and management of the Whites.