New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-07-22
TyuE POUGmKREPsIE RIOT.

TEX POUGHKEEPsIE RIOT.
We may as well make seasonable protest in
advance against the twist that is likely TO DO
given to the disgraceful riot at the Poush-
keepsie boat-race, and to the death that followed
il. 1t is to be presumed that people and papers
will be found silly enough to charge riot and all
to the boat race: proceeding thereupon 10 de-
nounce oat.racing as an offonse against the
moral law, and the art of rowing as obscureiy
forbidden in the Decalogue. For the beneht Oh
all such unmuscular Christians We offer sug'
gestion or two.
The riot wa, about az bad rs could be-no
doubt of that. A gang of New.York roughS
who had bet on the Ncw-York boat oil the
money they could raise, went up to rough
kecpsic determined to win by fair means or ioul'
They took posse ion of the town, beat ITS con-
stables, plundered its restaurants, robbed toe
citizens, and wound up by standing
over tho referee with revolvers, threatening
to shoot that unfortunate functionary
unless he awarded the race and the
money to the Ncw'York party; and they carried
their point. Subsequently, Stevens, one VI the
Poughkeepsie crew, being charged by DE Mott
with selling the race struck his accuser and
knocked him down. De Mott fell in such a
way as to break his neck. Taking all things
into account, the race was very unhappy
affair: il could not well have been worse man
AGED. or had q more unfortunate termination.
If ANYBODY who reads The TRIBUNE has any
money in his hands rs stakeholder, we advise
him 70 declare all bets off, and refund to those
who paid him.
But the public need not suppose this
violence belongs 70 a boat race. We do NJ
believe the crew of either boat desired inter
ference. or tina either of them would not have
rejoiced to pull a fair race free from the pres
ence OF that crowd of rufiians. II is probably
impossible to prevent betting or such race,
lust as it ia impossible to prevent betting on an
election, but We do not deem 1t doslr'
abe on that account to put an
end TO rowing matches or to elections
Al elections violence is far more frequent
than at boat races, and IL better argu-
ment for disseminating the former than the
latter. The truth is, Of course, that 1t has
nothing 10 do with the merits of either. Both
offer to bad men on opportunity oil IN
dulging their bad passions, and 1t IL the bah
men. not the elections or boat.races, whom
society ought to put down.
The race at Poughkeepsie, however, was
badly arranged both aAoat and ashore. The
civil authorities had warning of what they
nigh. expect, and had ample time to prevent
Ii. But instead Of getting decent military OF
police force, the7 adopted the ludicrous e1pedi-
cut Of swearing in twelve special constablesl
The miserable twelve inevitably came 20 grief,
and being too few TO pursue the disturbers
Of the peace of Poughkeepie, were
themselves pursued and beaten. On the
water there was no police, no effort OF any
kind to keep tho course clear, none OF the or
binary methods adopted for securing fair rae"
II is disputed whether the New-Iork boat
iouled the Poughkeepsie boat, aud there is nc
way of getting at the fact. The judges and
referee did not know their bgslness. They
made botch of the whole affair." ana with the
/ Dogberries OF Poughkeepsie must bear
the blame Of what happened. If they
had shown good sense and courage
there need have been no trouble. They
might have conducted the race SO as to have
afforded our New-York bullies no pretext for
contestng the result. At Boston or at Worces-
ter Massachusetts, where most Of the i'm
portant races have been pulled, there has never
been disturbance, nor any desire manifested
for anything but fair race. The rules that gov
ern such contests are well understood and rgidly
enforced, and if New-York sends Populations
from the Five Points, the Boston police take
good care to keep them quiet. They have
never been suffered to bring reproach on the
races for which the City of Boston annually
offers prizes, or on tho contests Of Yale ard
Harvard. 1t is only on the Hudson-that is,
only within easy distance of this city-that
short-boys and shoulder-hitters ere numerous
enough TO turn an orderly rowing-match into
u formidable riot.
We have heard but one side Of the story
which duplicates certain late foremen in the
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