The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-06
CHOKED OFF.
Any Attempt to Hold a Prize
Fight
In New Mexico Efectually Head
ed Off.
A BILL TO STOP 1T
Passes the Senate Today, Hav-
ing Passed the House.
1t Now Goes Direct to the Pres
ident.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-The Catron anti
prize fight bill has passed the senate. 1t
passed the house yesterday and is now
ready for the president. The full text of
the bill is as follows:
That any person who, in the territories
or the District of Colum bia, shall volun-
tarily engage in a pugilistIc encounter
between man and man, OF a fight between
a man and bull or any other animal,
for money, or for other things of value,
or for any championship. or upon the re-
suit of which any money or anything of
value is bet, or wagered, or to see which
any admission fee is charged, either di-
rectly or indirectly, shall be deemed
guilty OF a felony, and upon conviction
shall be punished by imprisonment in
tbs penitentiary for not less than one
year nor more than five years.
BY the term pugilistic encounter, as
used in this bill, is meant any voluntary
tight by blows, by means of fists or other
wise, whether with without gloves,
between two or more men, for money or
for prize of any character, or for any
other thing of value, or upon the result
of witch any money or anything of
value is bet or wagered, or to see which
any admission fee is charged, either di-
rectly or Indirectly.
Mr Catron, the delegate from New
comes a law, the fights cannot come off
in New Mexico, and the governor of the
Territory will be obliged to enforce it.
In his speech this afternoon he expressed
the opinion that the governor could
have stopped it if he had been SO dis
posed. This bill will compel him to
stop it.
The army officers on duty at the war
department are prepared to do all in
their power 10 execute the provisions of
the Catron bill, if called upon when the
bill becomes a law. The procedure of
the army would be for the gov
ernor Of New Mexico or any
territory which may be the scene of the
unlawful gathering to call upon the
United States marshal of the territory to
act and he might, if he felt it necessary
call upon the military for the assist
ance of the United States troops.
The war department authorities say
they have an ample force of the troops
in New Mexico and adjacent to the
border to take care of any number of
spor;s who would likely be there to take
| chances of arrest on charges of felony by
attending a prize fight.
While recognizing the proba-
bility of the enactment of the
NaIEOQ DllI, ARMY OluGeES 10OI continent
that the services of the troops will not be
called for, believing that the law will
compel an abandonment of the project to
pull the fight off in the territory.
The Catron bill probably will be sent
to the president tomorrow or next day,
and it is considered almost certain
| that it will be signed promptly
by him, thus making it a
law and operative Immediately. With
this law on the statute books, the whole
| government authority: judicial and if
necessary military, will be invoked to see
that the prize fight is stopped.
No promulg alton of the new anti prize
| fight law will be necessary. The law
| becomes executive from the moment it
is signed by the president and all per-
sons must at their peril take cognizance
of its enactment. Indeed under we'll es-
tablished law as laid down in the settled
| opinions of the United States supreme
| court, any persons violating its provi=
| sions on the same day, but after the hour
| IN which it is signed would be liable to
| all the penalties of the act.
| 1t is usual in many public acts to in
clude provision that the law shall not
take effect until a certain date or a certain
number of days after its passage, but
| such d provision was expressly excluded
| from the Catron act for the reason that
| it was an emergency law especially des-
| ignated to stop the Fitzsimmons- Maher
| and other bouts scheduled in the Stuart
| carnival.