Show I PRIZE fiGHT LEGISLATION L BY FREDE FREDERIO RIO J. J HASKIN m lIE forthcoming pugilistic encounter between Jeffries and John Johnson on and andI I T I the protests which have o be been n inside J. J against It li everywhere e make Inter- Inter tho the history of the cru crusade ado against prize fighting In the United States There arc are but few fow places left loft where a prize fight may be fought without with with- out coming Into conflict conflict con con- with Ith the laws t S Tho The most notable notableS legislation S fighting has been pla placed on tho statute books of or theS the tho S 3 various states since sincer r 1690 1890 Up to a few Cew t years 1 ago O New ew York 44 I was a a. favorite battleground battleground bat bat- under tho the marquis marqula of ot Queens Queens- berry rules but the Si same sentiment there thero S. S which later was re responsIble responsible re- re for tor the S. S racing anti laws brought about the enactment nl of ot such Frederic Haskin Haikin legislation as ns has tended to outlaw prize fighting In that state There are some men In high position who do not believe In the legislation against prize fighting Theodore Theodora Roosevelt Roose Roose- ell velt one of ot the tia greatest exponents exponent l of ot civic righteousness In the tho world orld las has as said that the bout between Jeffries and Johnson Johnson Johnton John John- son ton will be full of ot Inter Interest st st. and there thE Is no doubt that If It he hl could get et away from himself long enough enouch to wl witness winces tho mill h hI ho would do so 80 Then he rode rolle up Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania sl avenue on the mornIng of ot March 4 1904 to take tho the oath of ot otrice at hl his Inauguration the tens of ot thousands of ot people who saw him bowing right and left lert little dreamed that only the tho night nl before beCore he had engaged In a a. ten-round ten bout under under un un- un- un der marquis of or rules In the tho white house houge But It If Mike Donovan his hia sparring partner while governor of oC New NewYork NewYork York and while president of ot the tho United States is to be b believed lIe ed such a bout did take place and Theodore Roosevelt did to I Mike tho the very Yen Jeffries hopes to do doto doto I to Jack Johnson on tho the glorious Fourth- Fourth he knock knocked d out his man m I Donovan declares In his book that In In all of ot his experience ns as a pugilist during which time l he had hod met and defeated such notables as IlS Jack Dempsey he never re received received re- re a harder blow than that which the tho president of ot the United States delivered dell at the butt hutt of ot his ear on the eve we of ot his i Inauguration nau It Is claimed by the friends of ot the prize ring that one of oC the reasons for the unpopularity unpopularity un un- popularity of ot prize fl fighting today Is 18 the tho fact that In the old days das the manly art received a bad name which has ha clung to It to this day In spite of ot the thc vast ehan changes s that have come about in tho the rules and In Inthe inthe the tho conduct of ot prize fighting They as assert assert assert as- as sert that the present conditions under which championships arc are fought are arc productive pro pro- o of ot less harm to the combatants than even cven baseball The They point to tho the fact that In tho the case of ot Sullivan Corbett Fitzsimmons Jeffries and Johnson not one of ot them has a nose nOISe awry or an ear car askew to bear witness to the fact that tho they have b been tn prize fighters It Is de declared do- do dared that when a man like Jeffries goes Into the ring he Is 19 so perfectly trained and so Inured to hardship that a a. liberal application of ot witch hazel will remove remO all tho the traces of ot tho the gladiatorial contest In which he engages It alwa always s has been the boast of oC John L L. L Sullivan that he has proved himself a great friend of or education He declares declareR that during his fight with he mada made mad madea a great deal of money every cent of ol which ho spent In tolt fostering the schools of ot Mississippi As a matter of ot fact tact It required all of ot his winnings to keep him from serving servin a term In prison because of ot I h his hiI fight ht with Kilrain Twenty one of ot the states state have ha enacted special laws on prize fighting since 1830 1801 It was In that t year that Louisiana en enn acted Its law which Is one ono of oC tho mos most stringent In the list of oC statutes In torca today During DurIng- tho the next year Arkansas Arkanas Tennessee and Texas passed lc legislation against prize fighting South Carolina Iowa South Dakota and North Carolina followed rollow In tho the two succeeding years In 1895 Texas did what hat no other state has ever done convened a special session of ot Its legislature to prevent the holding of ot a a. champlon championship fight within Its Us boundaries In 1896 the state of ot Virginia enacted a law against prize fi fighting and md In tn It Incorporate incorporated In- In corporate 1 a a. provision pro that a a. fight be between between he- he tween a man and an animal was as to ber be bo r regarded as u a prize fight Under this clause the celebrated hutting butting contest be between he- he tween a a. negro and a a. bill billy goat oat which was held hold with the backing of ot the tho sports of ot two Montana cities some years ears ago would have IH been ben outlawed In 1897 Nevada yada enacted a law providIng providing providing provid provid- ing that an any person over 21 1 years cars of or a age e could take part In a a. prize fight either In inthe tho the capacity 0 of fighter promoter or spectator spectator spec epee the only condition being that he should pay a license fee re of ot 1000 for Cor tho the fight Arizona probably moved by the example of or Nevada Ne during the tho same year repealed a a. statute which made mado It a misdemeanor mis mis- demeanor for tor an any one ono to witness a prize prizefight prizefight tI fight ht as a spectator In 1900 the tho state of Iowa revised Its law law lawa a against prize prizefighting prizefighting fighting prohibiting absolutely all sorts orts of ot sparring matches to which an admission fee tee I Is charged Prize fighting has thur figured d In no small dc degree In the courts and E several pages pases of ot citations are JQ given In the tho big encyclopedia encyclopedia encyclopedia of ot law The majority of ot the c cases es that are cited have arisen In the United States Statts thou though h there thero are a number other English speaking countries Th There Is no technical le legal al definition of ot prize prizefighting fighting I but bUl the courts accept the statement state mont ment that It Il Is a 11 contest cont t where the principals prIncipals principals prin prIn- fight for Cor a reward or wa wager r. r An Ohio court has held that an agreement to I engage In a prize fl fight ht la is a n conspiracy to commit a a. crime It was held In the tho same case that expert testimony Is not competent competent compe compo tent as to whether a contest was 08 a a. sparrIng sparring sparring spar spar- ring match with gIOV gloves 8 or a prize fight A prominent nt New York politician has suggested a solution of ot the tue whole light fight question with reference to the tho law Ho ito proposes propos that the island Inland of oC Guam be bo cleared of or Its native population and that It be dedicated by the United States as the principality of tho the marquis of Queens Queens- berry and that all fighters and fight fans tans be Invited In to JO go tin tin-re and take tako up their residence forever fore It la is said ald that thA t the United States is the strictest c country In the world In opposition to lighting fighting and the tho tl fighters declare that In England boxing bouts are arc always VOS encouraged Tho The origin of or legislation against prize prizefighting prizefighting fI fighting seems to bo be hidden In obscurity At t first It U became become nn un offense against the common law the English courts having ha repeatedly held that prize fighting was an act In derogation of ot the public Interests Inter inter- ests cats and In tho the 8 same me category as other breaches of ot the peace f It may he be said that tho the first laws against prize fighting were we of ot the tho Judge made variety As far tar back ns the time of oC en encounters encounters en- en I counters In the prize ring were held to tobe tobe be Illegal megal Ho lIe states tates In his monumental I work on law that a a. tilt or tournament tho the martial diversion dl of our ancestors I is an unlawful act and BO so are boxing and sword playing the playing tho succeeding amusements amusements amuse amuse- ments merits of ot their descendants descendant In the tho early English history of oC professional Ional pugilism pUl there thE was WIlS so flO much roughness roughness rough rough- ness that the courts court often Interfered even avon before there was as a statutory enactment enactment enactment enact enact- ment on the tho subject A number of ot fights wore were prevented by the tho Interference of ot the officers of ot the law One of ot the tho earliest statutory enactments took tho the form torm of ot a law prohibiting tho the railroads from transporting transporting trans trans- porting persons to or from a n. prize fight In all the history of ot legislation against pugilism In tho the United l States no statute tute of ot this sort has been enacted It Is easy to see that It would be a difficult pro- pro to ascertain what passengers goIn goIng go- go inc Ing Into to San Francisco for the Fourth of ol July wore were going to see the rl fight ht It seems that about the e earliest Im Important Important important Im- Im decision on tho the legality of ot lighting fighting In the United States was handed down In Pennsylvania In 1839 1539 In that jear car It was held that a challenge to with tho the fits fists no matter r what the tho Conditions ton eon is an Indictable offense orrens a a. misdemeanor misdemeanor meanor meaner under the tho common law Jaw One ol ot the earliest legislative enactments In the tho United States looking to the prohibition of ot prize fighting was that of ot tho the Massachusetts Massa Massa- legislature In 18 1840 This law provided pro that every person who should meet 3 as principal aid BCd or ab abettor should be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and subjected to a n. term of ot prison This law applied even to the tho surgeon eon who examined exam exam- In med ined d the fighters as to their physical con con- The United States tes federal government first took cognizance of ot tho the prize fight tight In 1896 1696 when congress contress enacted a law providing pro pro- viding riding for Cor the tho prohibition of ot prize fights tIghts bull fights tights and other contests of ot a like nature In the District of ot Columbia and the territories Tho The immediate causo cause of or this enactment was tho existence of ot a aplan aplan plan to hold a series of ot prize fights tights In Inthe Inthe inthe the territory of ot New Mexico Just across tho the boundary from El EI Paso It was the tho Intention of or tho the sporting fraternity t to bring a number of ot bull fighters from Crom Mexico Mex Mex- leo ico and to have one of oC tho the most prolonged prolong d series of ot contests in the tile history of ot tho the prize r ring ng and th the bull ring Texas hold hela holda a a. special session of ot tho the legislature to prevent pro pro- vent the tho fights from being pulled oft off on Its soil Tho The governor of oC New Mexico had declared himself powerless to pro- pro vent the contest from taking place on Now ew Mexico soil flail and It was this attitude attitude attitude atti atti- tude on his part that th led to the enactment of oC a law h by congress In 1897 Maine 1 passed a 3 law prohibiting oven even the reproduction of or a prize fight within Its borders This probably will m beheld bo be held hold to apply to the moving picture reproductions reproductions reproductions of ot prize fights rights Tomorrow Tomorrow The Tho Battle of Waterloo |