St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-21
A FIERY OPPOSITION.
Wild Speeches, Denuneiatory
Of the Promoters Of the
Glove Contest.
Mass Meeting Of Citizens to
Memorialize Governor to
Stop the Fight.
Gov. Merriam Will Consult
Attorney General and Give
His Decision To-Day.
Mr. Coehrane Is Ringleader
Of the Opposition to the
Fight.

TlSuts
The sermons preached from the pull
pits on Sunday and the action OF the
chamber of commerce yesterday, con-
cernng the encounter scheduled to oc-
| cur between Bob Fitzsimmons and Gen
tleman Jim Hall, have conspired to
arouse considerable public sentiment
| against the contests Then all this was
capped last night by a mass meeting in
Market hall and an appeal to the gov
ernor.
The hall was crowded, and hundreds
OF people went away unable to gain adj
mittance. Thomas Cochran was the
principal spirit, and he presided.
The first speaker was w. II. Light
ner. He read copy of the articles that
| had been signed by the principals. by
| the officers of the Minnesota Athletic
| club, and the law relating to prize fight
| ing. Indeed, the hall had been literally
flooded with hand bills giving all this.
Archbishop Ireland was introduced.
After dwelling in eloquent phrases and
rounded periods upon the iniquity OF a
a failure on the part of the public Off
| CeIS u 0HtOICc lIle law, HC CHlClCu IlltO
| the closer spirit of the matter, and eX-
hibited familiarity with the case in
dicating considerable thought. He
said that alas for our system of
| government there were too many
violations of the law. Lawlessness
| is seen everywhere laughing to scOrn
the execution of official duties, munic-
ipal and state. 1t is attempted, he pur-
sued, to enthrone lawlessnesS upon the
| pedestal of liberty, and all the tOughs
of America are invited to come here and
| witness brutal encounter, in which
two men are to do each other almost
mortal combat.
DO not tell me-" he persisted, and his
! rich. strong voice rang through the large hall
in clarion notes. do not tell me that you
have invited Hsll aud Fitzsimnons to come
here upon legal grounds. You call them
professional prize fighters and trainers and
you are asked to take the hand because it is
encased in a glove or half-glove. They
say plainly that the arrangements have been
made for full and complete fight and that
they viii not stop until the Cry for smercy is
raised, ana the fallen man lies at the feet Of
the victor,
Bleeding and MangIed.
''PubIic business is the business of the Off
| GERS who are our agents, and il should be our
business to speak strong and loud in protests
against this occurrence. When citizens are
silent lQ6N are SuppOSeQ u dppIONe luCSC
violations of the law. And the constituents
are as still as the slumbers OF night when the
officials do not speak.
"Some argue that it will make business
lively in the city--that it will advertise st.
Paul and will be a great thing for
the city. But this meeting SO nobly shows
that the citizens of St. Paul speak loud
prize fighting shall be stopped "Let us not be
beguiled by words. We have had defined in
fine phrases the advantages of physical de-
velopment. But prize fighting is savagery:
1t is barbarism, when they fight until one of
the principals falls helpless and mangled.
The gadiators in ancient times, massacred
one another in imperial Rome. Are we going
| back to those days Of infamy? Prize fight
| ing is step on the road to these
conditions. Prize fighting can best be
! judged by its concomitants. They make
heroes of brutal prize fighters. Newspapers
| devote whole colums to stories about these
| men. They have glowing reeitals of what is
| said IN the corridors of the hotels, and about
| the crowds that rush to get their tickets. NO
Christian has the right to hide himself with
| in the precincts of his own home and say 1
am safe, no matter what goes on abroad
| This is damnable selhshness. am no op-
| timist. So long as we last there shall be SIN
| ana crime, but this much l have to
| saw. that so long as sin and crime
exist they shall be frOwned upon by public
| opinion. This is solemn duty, and, when
| public opinion is wrong. we are all wrong.
| I'VE boast of our proud city, and we hope fol-
| place public morals as the first and cniefest
| element in bringing up a great and pros
porous city. The American people are de-
| voted to virtue and law. There is living
| God above law and righteousness who
| has an eternal patience and toerates
evil, but who some day will destroy
| S0dom and Gomorrah. In the name of our
| fair city, with its youth, beauty and virtue,
| bid the powers to protect us against prize
| fighting; speak so loud and strong, and with
| such unanfmity' that public opinion shall
| command the punishment of the brutes who
disgrace the platform and challenge the ap-
plause of the people who witness the desc
| Grafton of the law
Hon. j. r. Mcmillan, ex-senator and
ex-justice of the supreme court, dealt
some
Sledge Hammer
blows. He warmed up to his subject as
| he proceeded, and was frequently ap-
plauded. Thomas Cochran, introduce
ing him, said:
Il wish for tomorrow that he were the
judge of the municipal court"
Mr.. Mcmillan declared that he was
deeply impressed with the sublimity of
the occasion, and he complimented the
vast audience for its intelligence and its
law-abiding proclivitles. He compli-
mented the archbishop, and insisted
that they brought his mind back to the
fact that the constitution of the United
States gave the right for people who
revered that which. is sacred to assem-
BILE and protest against wrong or to
rights. He felt that it had not
been his privilege to participate
in such grand occasion before
for long time, and he roasted ''the
highest executive officer of the city" in
unmeasured terms. The speaker
charged that the mayor comedies that
there is law prohibiting the fight. and
that the mayor had said ''it shall not be
enforced" Mr.. Mcmillan said the prize
fighters are not unknown and he pointed
to the record of their encounters that
has been printed in the papers,and then
he decried them as common plug
had been obscure the event would
not be so important, Mr.. Mcmillan
agreed, but they are famous and they
are dignified and protected by citizeifs
supposed to occupy the first rank in So
cietY. Again
The Well ssShame''
went coursing through the hall. The
speaker declared that the ''act of these
men is made by law criminal act, and
the men who urge it, who aid it and
who abet it are criminals under the act,
and moreover. they cannot be blind to
the fact" The speaker, with burning
irony arraigned the members and Off
GERS of the Minnesota Athletic club and
continued at great length in denuDcia-
ton of the fight.
A letter of regret was read from W.
B. Dean. 1t was hot roast, and in
full keeping with the spirit of the
gathering.
Mr., Cochran said that he felt con-