St. Paul daily globe., 1889-07-12
PRIZE FIGHTING.

Would it not be better to repeal the
laws against prize fighting and to enact
instead, laws providing rules and regu-
lations for the government of the ring?
This query is suggested by the utter
failure of the civil authorities in the
various states to enforce the laws
against prize fighting, and by the fact
that this failure is due to the force of
that higher law known as public Senti-
ment. There is great big chunk of
wisdom in DANIEL WEBSTER'S remark:
"You cannot repeal human nature"
All effort to enforce laws that are in
opposition to public sentiment is worse
than idle; it is mischevous; for it is in
that way lawlessness is encouraged and
the seeds of anarchy are sown. The
passion for prize fighting is just as
strong in the breast of the Amer
ican as the passion for bull fighting
is in the breast of the Spanlard
or as the love for bear-baiting and cock
fighting is in the hearts of our British
cousins. To eliminate either we must
first repeal or reconstruct human ma
ture.
Looking at facts as we find them, and
bowling to the majority of the higher
law, we venture the suggestion that the
best thing the American states can now
do is to make prize fighting respectable.
If we arc to have it in spite of the laws
and in defiance of the power of state
machinery, then let US raise 1t above the
control of the thugs and the rougher
classes of society, and give it some of
the elements of gentility possessed by
the old gladiatorial contests in the days
of ancient Rome, or the Olympic games
in the times of ancient Greece. The
next time that Prof. SULLIVAN and Col.
KIIRAIN have mill, let the four
governors of Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Texas act as a
committee of arrangements, and
let invitations be issued to the presi-
dent and members of his cabinet to be
present and act as referees. The foreign
diplomatic corps. the members of the two
houses of congress, and the judges of
the supreme court should occupy the
SIS seats in the grand stand. A Sepa-
rate gallery should be provided for
ladies and their escorts, and thus an
eclat be given to the entertainment that
would make it respectable for anybody
to witness a sport that everybody is
dying to see. The field marshal should
be provided with copy of the statutes
regulating prize fights, and which could
be made an improvement upon the
codes published by the Marquis of
Queensberry or the London prize ring,
in that they should require each CON-
batant to toe the mark when time
is called, and prohibit him from
receding from the mark when
toed, unless he is knocked
back. In this way a fair, square stand
ND fight could be secured. and which
would really be novelty in this day
and generation. And then when the
victor won the diamond belt he would
have the privilege of the knight Grant
in the tourney Of comforting his badge
of championship upon some lovely fe-
male spectator, and not be conf
PEELED to sneak off home by a circu-
itous route as SULLIVAN and KILRAIN
udu W uU.
When the prize ring is thus elevated
to the plane of responsibility, Yale.
Harvard and other leading colleges
will establish chairs OF physical culture
and sinecure snaps be provided for re-
tired pugilists. There IS nothing vio-
lent in these suggestions, because al
ready the American people are mani
Testing more interest i'll what took
place Oh Richburg field, than they are
in progp ~ctive European wars, the or
ganiZation of the next congress, or the
extension of mission worl; among the
heather. Boston's unerowncd king is
more OF a popular idol to-day than
GLADSTONE, while JOHN KTLRAIN is
receiving more sympathy and bouquets