Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-07-20
FUTILE PROTESTS.
St. Paul Citizens Object to a
Prize Fight.
A PLAIN VIOLATION OF THE LAW

And an Event That the Clergy and Others
Denounce-But 1t Will GO Right on
Regardless-Bishop GiIbert's Protest
and the Clubs Reply Thereto-Mayor
Smith Declines to Interfere and Gives
the Directors Cold Sympathy.
ST. PAUL, July 2O-The ministers of ST.
Paul are up in arms in opposition to the
FitZsimmons Hall fight Wednesday even
ing. In aim ost every pulpit yesterday the
fight was more or less forcibly denounced.
Archbishop Ireland, at the cathedral, gave
the Minnesota Athletic club a terrible
scoring. Equally outspoken was DR..
Christie, of the House of Hope, who de-
nounced the newspapers for abetting the
club by publishing details respecting the
preparations for the fight. So indignant
are the min that, by concerted eff
fort on their part mass-meeting of citi-
Zens has been called for this evening at
Market hall to protest against the fight.
Ex-President' Noyes. of the chamber of
commerce, waited upon Mayor Smith re-
questing him to stop the fight.
The Mayor Pointedly Refused.
Mayor Smith pointedly refused to do
anything of the kind, stating that the
fight between Fitzsimmons and Hall was
in the same line as the fstic
exhibitions which have been given
in the gymnasium of the Y. NJ. C. A and
the Olympic theatre. Blood had been
drawn at majority of these sparr ing
matches. Mayor Smith subsequently
said: why, if you should let these min
listers and some of these religious people
have their way about affairs, we might
just as vel fence up the city. for it would
be so dead hat no one would find il worth
while to live here, even the people who
were to blame for it all. Do you know,
they are ever sending me protests against
the jockey club races and many are urc-
ing me to Use my official and personal in
huence to put stop to the races"
Bishops Vain Protest
Bishop Gilbert, of the Episcopal church,
sent card TO the press protesting against
the fight in which he said, first that the
club was bringing dishonor on the nan
OF st. Pau; that they were throwing over
brutal sport the mantle of respectable
ity; that tfey were preparing to do in this
city that which even Louisiana would not
permit within her borders; that they
were drawing together here the gamblers
and thugs of the northwest, and being
themselves thrown into close association
with those men, and that he cannot under
stand how a man who makes any claim to
standing ON responsibility can counte-
nance this affair by his presence.
Tie Club Excuses Itself
The club has published reply in which
it says: Bishop Gilbert is obviously mis-.
Informed as TO the character of the coming
event. 1t : not to be, as he seems to sup
pose, "A prize fight in the ordinary sense
OF the teIm-that is, an affair of bare
knuckles, blood, brutality and disorder
but contest in which padded gloves are
to be worn, and physical injury and suf-
fering are reduced to minimum. Neither
of the contestants will suffer as much
pain or in convenience as barefoot boy
suffers when he stubs his toe The bishop
will acknowledge that broad distinctions
may be placed out of sight by general
term. For example, the English clergy
man of the bishops own faith does not
call II gam bling when he makes one at
the whist table with shilling a corner
dependent on the rubber or the odd point
nor does the English clergyman call it
sporting when he umpires a game of
cricket Sunday afternoon between two
parish elevens"
The Governor Appealed to.
Governor Merriam has also been ap-
preached by opponents of the mill, but
got out of the fix by turning them over to
Mayor Smith. Despite all the opposi-
ton that is being raised the fight will take
place. Having in view the determined ac-
ton of citizens to stop the prize fight, it
may be in teTesting to note the law of this
state relating to prize fighting and spar
ring. 1t, il brief, forbids anything in the
shape of 8 prize fight in the most explicit
terms, SO that this match is plainly a vio-
lation of the statute made and provided.
Every one involved in any way, either as
principal, second or manager, is liable TO
ninety days imprisonment.
What MERCER Brought Home from France
MONTREAL, July Cot is rumored in
Dolitical circles that in view of r,,n,-a