The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-25

The MORNING News is opposed to prize
fighting and has endeavored to create a
sentiment against it. It has commended
the governor of Florida time and again
for his determination TO prevent the Cor
bett-Mitchell fight in that state, but it
cannot help thinking that the governors of
Georgia and Florida overstepped the
bounds of dignity and got into the limits
OF the ridiculous when they ordered out
troops in their respective states to stop
two bruisers from pounding each other.
1t seems to US each would have done all
that was expected of him if he had di-
rected the civil authorities of the coun-
ties Of his state likely to be invaded by
the prize fighters and their friends to be
on the lookout and prevent any VIC
lation of the laws. Nothing has
cropped out that justifes the con-
clusion that the civil authorities Of
Duval county, Florida, or any other
county of Florida or Georgia would
not be able to uphold the laws. There is
no intention, as far as anybody knows, TO
forcibly resist the authorities. If the
contest should be begun and a sheriff
with small posse should appear at the
ring and order it stopped, there is no rea-
son to doubt that he would be obeyed.
The calling out of the state troops, there
fore, in Florida and Georgia, strikes one
as partaking a good deal Of the character
of opera bouffe. Just think Of Gov.
Mitchell, in high state OF excitement at
Tallahassee, ordering troups to Jackson
vile from Ocala and various other
points and Gov. Northen, leaving
the executive business at Atlanta and
rushing down to Waycross to personally
command the troops ordered from Sa-
vannah, Brunswick and other places,
and to direct the war upon couple of
prize fighters who may have never in
tended to have their little mill upon Geor-
gia soil
Gov. Northen is an excellent gentleman,
and good governor, and the same can
be said of Gov. Mitchell, but does it not
appear that they have made too much of
this Corbett- Mitchell contest2 The
prize-fghters do not intend to kill
each other and the toughs and roughs
gentlemen who are anxious to see the con-
test between the Englishman and the
American, have no purpose of doing any
body any harm. They don't propose to shed
blood, or burn anybody's buildings, or
steal anybody's property 1t would seem,
therefore, as if the occasion was not one,
for massing the troops of two states and
startling the people with the idea that a
bloody war is upon them.
Every once in q while some citizen of
this state, or of Florida, calls upon some
other citizen to meet him in a
secluded spot with friends and pistols,
in order that they may settle personal
difficulty that seems to them calls for
blood, but the governor of neither state
considers it necessary to call out the
troops to stop the deadly encounter. Why,
then, should men be called from their
business and professional duties to put on
their uniforms, and take up their Win
chesters to stop fist fight, the unlawful
ness of which is questioned and in which
there is little or no probability that either
contestant will be seriously injured2
The fight should be stopped, of course,
because it is a brutal and brutalizing ex-
hibition, but let the civil authorities stop
it. There is no evidence that they cannot
prevent the peace from being broken.
The calling out of the troops, and we say
it without desiring to offend either Gov.
Northen or Gov. Mitchell, smacks little
of buncombe.