The San Francisco call., 1895-11-01
THE RING HUMBuG.
HORSE SENSE Is WHAT SAM DAVIS THINKS TIL
NEWSPAPERS NEED

HORSE SENSE Is WHAT SAM DAVIS THINKS THE
NEWSPAPERS NEED
Inc experience of the last few months with
couple OF windy prize-fghters known as Cor
pett ana fltZsimmons ought to teach the press
oi lne united states g little common, horse
sense regarding the way their columns have
been Systematically worked by the people who
make their living out of pugilism OF late
years the ring has become an immense money
making concern, and through the slick opera
uons OF crafty managers the papers have been
made to do the work gratuitousiy of getting
vast crowds together to witness these events,
py Whleh the managers and principals are able
to realize large fortunes 1t seems hardly fair
that men engaged in honest, square CONNER
clal pursuits should be obliged to pay good
round rates to the newspapers for advertising
their businesses when men who are outside
the pale OF the law and engaged in violating
the statutes of the State in which they operate
should be constantly kept before the public
and given hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth OF free advertising per month.
II prize-fghting is 10 become National
pastlme, as there seems much likelihood of its
doing, the newspapers and the public should
insist upon the pastime being brought under
such regulations and restrictions as govern
other public sports. Horseracing, football,
bicycle tournaments and baseball matches are
obliged to conform to certain rules established
for their guidance, but your prize-fighter is q
free-and-easy go-as-you-please fellow, whose
only object in life appears to be to make as
much money as possible by studiously avoid
ing to practice the calling which he claims to
follow. Corbett has lived ana waXed fat finan-
cially professional pugilist, yet he has not
struck blow in the ring for many years, and
whenever an opportunity has presented itself
for light his manager has managed to dexter
ouSly avoid or postpone the event. In the old
days OF the prize ring the pugilist who main
tanned his hold upon the public was obliged to
get into the arena every few months and lick
somebody, or he was considered back num-
Der, but in these days the pugilists who do the
least lighting seem to stand at the top of the
profession. The main reason OF this is that as
soon Us a prize-fghter wins battle of any i'm
portance he is picked up by some manager and
placed on the stage.
The legitimate actor who by years of careful
study and hard training is able to appear satis-
factorily in dramatic representations is
obliged to pay for this advertising. but the pro-
fessional pugilist, who uses the stage for the
double purpose OF making money out OF gul-
'lible public and avoiding actual encounters in
the ring, is given two or three columns day
whenever he appears in new town. The idea
possessed by newspaper proprietnrs that every
body is hankering after this kind of news, and
professional rivalry in getting it, may &C
count for good deal of the sporting slush
which washes through the columns of the
press from New York to San Francisco. If the
newspapers by common agreement were to
treat puglllsm like any other business enter
prise and charge all managers of prizefghters-
the regular advertising rates the entire frater-
nifty OF pugs would soon quit the business, and
it would die out altogether. The following
rules and regulations suggest themselves as ap-
prupriate:
l. champion of any class must fight every
three months or give up his belt
=. Pugilists going on the stage should be
considered as having retired from the ring for
ever, and theatrical managers employing them
should be charged double rates for advertising
s. No mention whatever of any prize-figh
to come off should be made in any newspaper
except on three occasions, Ia when the forfeit
is posted. (b) when the stake money is all up,
(c) when the fight occurs.
All other mention of any kind in connection
with the affair should be charged for at regular
advertising rates, payable in advance.
II these few simple rules were enforced by
the newspap pers, the crowd OF rough brutes and
humbugs who are now making money out of
the pugilistic craze would drop into absolute
obscurity. In nine cases out of ten, pugilists
who make matches TO come off at some indei-
mite future time never put up q dollar and
haven't the slightest intention, when they
make the match, OF engaging in fight, if they
can possibly avoid it. Corbett and Fitzsim-
mons have humbugged the newspapers into
giving them nearly million dollars worth Of
free advertising up to date, and having secured
what they wanted, are now praying that the
authorities will be on hand in time to prevent
them from getting into the ring. The authori-
ties appear to be in the push TO help advertise
the alleged fights and the game goes merrily
on according to their desires. SAM DAVIS.