Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-07-02

This is the field Of the manager. The
lighters mission. is simply TO fight.
That of the manager is to 'jelly" the
public. coerce leading sporting clubs
into giving small fortune for his
principal and another fellow TO con-
tend for and then declare himself In on
the winnings.
"A great fstic battle can never take
place nowadays without the manager.
He owns the fighter and sets the seal
Of his approval or disapproval upon
any proposition club magnates may
offer. His dictum goes every time.
Judge Newton, matchmaker OF the
Coney Island Athletic club, and his
confrere, John P. Echardt, as we'll as
President Charles Noel OF the Crescent
club New Orleans, know this to their
sorrow. The manager, although he
talks glibly OF backing his principal for
a prlnCely sum. never risks dollar OF
his own money. HN scheme is to rake
in all the coin in sight-not TO let any
escape. Ittmust be admitted, however,
that the manager materially aids the
| fighter.
With the exception OF lucky Jim Cor
bett. who is continually building castles
in Spain and talking fippantly Of sums
! approximating d million, the majority or
| Fighters would be willing to battle FOR
| a thousand or two, as Heenan, Morris
sey, Yankee Sullivan, Tom King, Tom
| Sayers, Jem Mace and the giants OF the
past did. Here, however, the art OF the
manager comes In. He interposes
veto upon any plan looking TO. battle
between his man and some other
managers man for reasonable
amount OF money. He meets the club
ma2nate, and then comes the battle OF
the diplomats. The club man suggests
81, 500 purse for a contest between
| two representative pugilists. The man
ager smiles superciliously and will not
| for moment entertain the proposition.
He suggests that he has real live, bona
/ fide champion in his possession and he
cannot think Of insulting him by enter
ing him in contest for any purse less
than $3.50 1t is on record that one
manager had the modesty TO ask for a
SIS, 900 purse for his man.
The club magnate, smiling as sweetly
as summer sun, suavely informs the
manager that he cannot mortgage the
clubhouse and hypothecate the bank
stock and other securities owned by the
| clubs directors, but still he is open to a
proposition. Equally suave and accom-
modatng is the manager. He, too, is
a man OF reason and open TO conviction.
de is willing to accept a $4,000 purse
upon behalf OF his principal, but he Will
not come down to these figures at once.
I He is too polite for that. He makes a
cut OF SIS, 600. The club man suggests
s15,00O more. The manager SCOTS at
this and gives his ultimatum. he will
accept S12, 500 and not penny less. Al
! ter backing and filling for hours the
ciubman finally agrees TO hang up
| $40, 900 purse, and the manager has won
his point His principal will, IL he wins
the battle, turn neat $4,000, and the
manager will pocket the other moiety
Of the purse, Eloq uence counts as
much as Drawn here.
Sometimes fighters won't fight, no
matter how great the monetary induce
ments offered may be. Here, again, the
fine Italian hand Of the manager is dis
cernible. When manager like shrewd
Tom O'ROurke has miniature gold mine
| like little George Dixon In his grasp, he
does not propose to risk defeat and con-
sequent disaster by pittine him against
such rugged, hard hitting little fellows
as Johnny Griffen or Johnny Van Heest.
He and Dixon clear $1,000 month each
| by their exhibitions through the coun-
| try, and TO 0'Rourke's mind IL would be
the height OF folly to permit the worlds
champion featherweight TO risk any pos
sible chance OF losing his reputation and
the gold that follows in its wake. True,
the rules of the ring require that cham
pion must accept a bona fide chal-