The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-02-21
DUB HELENA LETTER.

Upon 1t Galway Gives the
Press 4 Bills In.
trodnced- Notices Of
Bills, ETC., ltc.
HELENA, NJ. T. Feb. Is, 1885.
Governor Potts. till to punish ant
suppress prize fighting has at lengu
reached q hearing in the House.
It came up appropriately today
lnasmuch As > smuggling match wa
one OF Helens's Sunday evening ut
fractions last night. 1t will be re
memtered that this was one Of tn
first bills introduced this session. A
msjority of the judiciary committee
consisting of Speer, Baldwin ant
Eastman, reported back q substitute
In place Of the origiHel bill. Pott'
and Forbis recently made . minority
report recommending the passage o
the original bill. The bill and sub
stitute were considerei by the House
this afternoon III committee Of tht
whole, Speer in the chair. TIKI
original DILL makes the offensea felony
and Furnishes 1t by imprisonment In
the penitentiary at hard labor moi
less than ore year nor more than ten
yeara.
The substitute reduced the offense
to q misdemeanor punishsble by q fine
Of not less than 800 nor more than
$500, or imprisonment in the county
Jail from one to six months, or both
hne aud imprisonment.
Baldwin stated that tho object of
the substitute was not to encourage
prize lighting or to aid or abet it In
any way. He felt that it is necessary
to suppress this evil, and wished to
adopt those means which will best
accomplish that end. The penalty
named in the original bill is 80 severe
that it would be almost impossible to
secure convictions under such Q law.
If the penalty Is not proportionate to
the crime juries will not convict.
Galloway said that he desired to
have prize fighting suppressed, but
he agreed with Baldwi that If the
penalty Is made too severe it Is diff
cult to enforce. He thought the sub
s,itute better than the original IN this
particular,
Potts could not e why it should
be made simply q misdemeanor. 1t
is, of all practices, the most brutal
and demoralizing that any people can
witness or practice. The man that
makes = brute Of himself ought
to be punished As y felon.
The kind Of men that engage in
prize fights are men that you want
severe laws to punish. They are no
respectsrs Of persons or laws. What
do they car for ; small fine OF 3 few
days in jail, if they get their gate
money and the amount put up on the
fight: 1t is . crime that ought to be
punished, aud punished As q felony.
Forbis conouIzei with Potts. and
spoke in support of the original bill.
A motion to recommend the passage
IF the first section of the original bill
Was :hec carried BY nearly q unani-
NOUS vote. ;
The second Furnishes any person
who shsl! attend . prize fight ~
hacker. trainer, second, umpire, a.
or reporter.
Csliawsy moved e amend this so
~ 1oinclude spectators and witnesses.
He thought: that if the profit from
The gate money be shut of, there
wcuid b. very little prize fighting
.ons.
TEE motion WAS lost Baldwin
moved 70 strike out the words, "or
reporter" We, ~ 8 people, uni
Eerssliy believe in = free press. 1t is
he duty OF the press &c report what
takes place. If there should be
prize fight, there is no good reason
'hy newspapers should not have ne
or!ers on the ground, and not have :
o draw on their imagination for the
acts. The house hiss voted not to
unish spectators, and q reporter =
'ould he \ harmless as any other +,
pectstor.
Galloway opposed ths amendment. 3
the press is entitled to the :
argest liberty. and the freedom OF r
he press Is ~ Of the tulwarks Of
ur government, yetit should not % 9
ito these places and report what is u
enioraliEipg to the public mind.
u public press goes from Butte
eday OF tomorrow and announces Il
} the world that the day that is sa- :,
ed to prize fighting is the Lords +,
~. Prize lighting there is 3 legiti- d
late industry. and the Sabbath is v
'ade sacred TO it, If prize fighting 4
2 = crime and = disgrace, why do +
sntlemen wish to strike out these
ords and allow our crime and dis
ace to be published to the world: =.
The notion. however, prevailed,
Id reporters were not included, v
After further slight amendments.
aliswsy moved that the committee -
port the bill with the recommends I.
m that 1t do pass, and the motion
Is carried without = dissenting
tie.