The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-12
CHAMPIONS ARE NOTIFIED.
A Violation of Law and an At
front to State Pride.
Are Informed That Any Attempt
VIII Subject Them to Highly Dis
phatic in Declaring the Case Not
Open to Discussion.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark, Oct. 11.-Gov-
ernor Clarke, who has been examining
the law closely touching the guberna-
torial power to prevent prize fighting,
tonight outlined his intention in COM
munica tons, addressed to the officers
at Hot Springs and the principals in
the proposed fight. The governors pro-
nunciamento tonight, which is in favor
of preventative measures, is regarded
as final. The governor will hold him
self ready to cooperate with Judge
Duffie, of the Hot Springs district, to
prevent the fight should it appear that
the local authorities fail to impress
upon the fighters and their hackers
with sufficient force the propriety of
declaring the fight off. In his letter
to Judge Duffie, Governor Clarke says:
II beg to assure you that you shall
have my prompt and cheerful co-opera-
ton in any effort you may make to
suppress the proposed prize fight at
Hot Springs Any order that you may
make in this connection shall not prove
ineffective for want of power to enforce
It. I say this with confidence, because
l hold in the highest respect the fidelity
and courage of Sheriff HOupt. l feel
sure that his active assistance can be
relied upon but it is said that even
Jupiter sometimes needs. If it shall,
contrary to my expectations. become
necessary to proceed without the valua-
able aid of the sheriff, [ stand ready
to supply all that may be necessary.
Question nf TASTE
81 agree with you that preventative
proceedings will, in this instance, meet
with the demands of the law and jus
tee The feature of this threatened
prize fight which has aroused and will
continue to arouse the indignation of
our people, is its character as an in
vasion of the state by a class of per-
sons and for a purpose that will not
be tolerated. 1t is a practical assertion
of a belief that our people do not pos
sess the tastes and sentiments that
harmonic with standards which pre-
vail in enlightened communities. Re
garded as such an invasion, the pro-
posed event assumes magnitude that
would not attach to a similar affair To-
caHy organized. 1t becomes more than
an infraction of statute, and in it's
suppression calls for the exercise of
more prompt and summary measures.
1 will treat your letter to me as an
application to support your efforts to
deal with the matter in this aspect and
not until l shall have exhausted the
very comprehensive powers conferred
on the governor by law will [ admit
that 1 have made the effort in vain.
l will notify the parties principally
interested in this affair of my deter
minatiOn to cooperate with the local
its occurrence at Hot Springs and re-
quest them to desist from further
preparations in this direction"
Champions Notified.
In his letter to Sheriff Houpt. Gov
ernor Clarke expressed a desire to con-
fer with him personally in order TO
reach an understanding as ITO what
steps are necessary to carry out his
purpose. In addition to notifying
President Stuart, of the Florida Ath-
letic club, 10y mail, of his determina-
ton to prevent the fight, Governor
and Fitzsimmons as follows:
81 am advised by the press dis
patches that it is your purpose, at an
early day, to engage in a prize fight
in this state. The purpose of this is
to inform you that such an act is a
violation of our laws and an affront
to the sentiment of a state pride en-
tertained by our people.
1T will therefore not be possible for
you to accomplish any such purpose,
and any attempt on your part to do
so will subject you to penalties and to
treatment that / ann sure will be
highly distasteful to you. L do not at
this time know in detail all the compli-
cations in which you may be involved
by any such attempt. but 1 am well
enough advised of the nature and
extent of the power and authority
with which you will find yourself con-
fronted to say that it will prove suf-
ficient to deter you from engaging in
a prize fight in Arkansas. This is
enough for you to know. The ques-
ton, so far as it relates to you, does
not now call for the citation of the
construction of the statutes or other
rules of law. In the present state of
public opinion, prize fighters have no
rights which those in authority are
bound to respect. But there is no lack
of law to make it now my duty to do
all that is here Indicated AS this is
the only communication that I shall
address to you, have been somewhat
more emphatic than would be the
case if the matter were open to dis
cussion. "