The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-02
Soon. However, a Majority Will
Be Secured to Make Pugil-
ism a Felony.
PROTEST AGAINST THE BILL
Ex-Governor Barnett Gibbs Says
the Animal Cannot Be Legislated
Out of Man.

the Legislature may De changed tO-mOr-
row or Thursday by the presence of
dozen or more absentees who have been
sent for, but had vote been taken to-day
on the administration bill making it a
felony to figure in prize-fighting it would
have failed of the two-thirds vote neces-
sary to make it become operative.
This statement is based on the fact that
but ninety-four members of the House
were in attendance at rollcalI to-day. Of
these fifteen have declared against the
measure and three are doubtful It will
be seen, therefore, that as the administra-
ton must have eighty-six votes to pass an
emergency bill they were short to-day
about ten votes.
In the Senate the conditions were more
favorable, inasmuch as twenty-four mem
bers of that body were present, with every
possibility that not more than three of
the number would vote in opposition.
This would have passed the bill there
without a vote to spare. When the House
adjourned there were thirty-four abb
sentees, including half dozen members
who have resigned or been appointed to
other offices since the last session. Nearly
ali the remainder are claimed by the
administration men as favorable to the
emergency bill. If this be true and their
presence can be secured the measure will
be passed.
There is no question that an overwhelm-
ing majority OF both houses is favorable to
bill prohibiting prize-hghting and max
ing such sport, if necessary, a felony.
There is, however, little Hcoterie who be-
heve that the bill should not become law
until ninety days after the adjournment,
and these claim to have strength enough
to defeat the bill in the House with the
emergency clause attached. Much will de-
pend on the absentees and their attitude
toward the measure upon their arrival
The indications tonight are that the bat
tie between the administration forces and
the opposition will be spirited but brief.
There are several reasons for this, the
principal reason being that the more in
fiuential members of both houses are
anxious to return to their homes as speed-
lily as possible. With this end in view, an
effort will be made to bring the measure to
vote by Saturday afternoon next.
Moreover, the State treasury is in no
condition to stand an extraordinary draft
upon its reso urces, and as each DAVIS ses-
sion involves an expenditure of $1,000 an
other argument in favor of an early ad-
journment is found. In addition to this
daily expenditure the cost to the State for
the mileage of Representatives and Sena-
tors will aggregate, in round numbers,
1000 more. The leaders fear that the
Populists will, in the next campaign, find
effective campaign material in the special
session OF the Legislature because of it's e1-
pense to the State, and this is another rea-
son why it is desired to minimize the time
as much as possible.
The hearing which the Judiciary Com
mittee of the two houses proposed giving
to-day to the opponents CT the bill was
POSTPONED until tomorrow, owing to the
inability OF the latter TO be present. 1t is
not improbable that all of Wednesday may
be devoted by the committee to hearing
Of the objections to the bill and it is hardly
likely, therefore, that either committee
will report the bill back to its respective
House before Thursday. and possibly not
until Friday. 1t may also be amended in
committee in some particulars without,
however, affecting its real purpose, which
is to make prize-fghting felony and per-
NIT the law to go into effect Immediately
after it shall have received the Governors
signature.
Ex-Governor Barnett Gibbs, the repre-
sentative of the business interests, who, he
claims have spent large sums of money in
the anticipation of the fight, has written
reply to Governor Culberson's message to
the Legislature to-day, which is, to say the
least, a vigorous and unique argument.
Referring to the Governors charge that
prize-hghting is a brutal sport, Mr.. Gibbs
queries:
How much of the animal is to be Iegis-
lated out of man? If you take it all, of
course he becomes thing not dangerous
to either man or woman; but on the other
hand, he is Of no account to himself or his
country. What is left is fit only for soap
grease. The Orientals studied for
thousand years to find some effective
mode of eliminating the brute from man,
and finally decided that the only way was
to unsex him.
"The second reason assigned by the Gov
ernor for the hasty passage of the law with
an emergency clause is that certain other
States have the law Some of these States
have no homestead law, and have spent
much money in trying to get others to re-
peal III Ine interest OF trade, ana claim
that ours is a mossback fad unworthy of
the new Democracy. Legislation should
be more OF deliberation than example, and
If not there is the great common law of
England that does not have a line against
this or kindred athletic sports.
"if we follow the prevailing fad in the
East our girls will all wear boomers and
ride bicycles and ride horses straddle, when
they ride them at all. discovered this
summer while East that these are the fads
in higher circles. If Texas were fifty years
without law against glove contests it
might have survived few months more.
An emergency clause will destroy the
value of many investments made on the
strength of license law passed by this
same Legislature.
Thousands of dollars worth of property
will be confiscated by the emergency
clause. which belongs to men and women
who have no sympathy with the fight or
with the club. The message does not refer
to any State in the Union that called an
extraordinary session to stop glove con-
test for which great preparation has been
made by innocent followers of the law of