New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-24
WRITES or THE HORTON LAW

The State of New-York ought 10 give par
.cular attention this Thanksgiving Day to he
Ing thankful that ii Is not some other States
are This is civilized community. and ii Is
entitled to take much righteous satisfaction
in its virtuous refusal 10 tolerate prizefighis.
All New Workers know that przefghts are bru-
tai and disgusting shows. and they Will have
nothing 10 do with them. Whoever wants 10
see a przciight or arrange prizefght must
leave this wcll-bchavcd State and seek asylum
in some bcniChtC1 region for that purpose.
There is no tolerance here for anything of the
kind. Law and respectable sentiment and the
unanimous voice of moral and high-tOncd
press are against the degradation Of the En-
pire State Therefore let Us he thankful 1t Is
glorious thing to live under laws which pro-
mote civilization aud restrain brutality.
But II is of course. not to he expected that
our superiority will be freely conceded by ieal-
Gus and spitcful neghbors. Some of them. in
deed. say are Snug humhugS. and that our
prohibition OF przc-iighting i all pretencc, and
thai needn't hold our heads any higher
than the people of Carson city. They will be
mean enough 10 call attention To little affair
held here night before last. and report that
the police Of this city allowed public prize
fight between two notorious loafcrs and DULLES
named Corbctt and Sharkcy whose fights in
other States have been the cause Of much out
cry on the part Of good people here. They viii
hint that the moral tone of New York cannot
be so wonderfully superior when people will
pay 500 seat 10 sec these brlliscrs fight and
when the fight is allowed To take place openly
under police protection They will declare that
Newly Workers are impudent PhariSees 10 lcct-
IRE Nevada folks for their depravcd tastes and
barbarc laws.
All this must he endured. Virtue is always
put upon and abused Ivy tho wicked. and we
may be- patient in conscious rcctitudc. waiting
for the dull world to do Us justice and Under
stand that we do not tolerate prizetghting in
New York The cnvious will not and the igno-
rant cannot make the distinction between prize
fighting and boxing. and sometimes the most
expert spectators and the contestants them
selves get mixed mp. but there IS distinction.
The law of New York makes one. and forbids
prMefg hing with all severity The affair Of
Tuesday night was not n prizcight. II was
little boxing match True. corhett himself
spoke of it rs fight" and regretted that the
referee prevented his carrying II on TO tho fin
lsh hut Corhctt j. not abovc the law. Neither
his words nor his acts can make a prizchgh
in New-York. The law says there shall he
none. and The law is enforced here. aS every
body knows The very fact that 4 prlzcfght
takes place here makes II boxing match. which
is something entirely different. How diferent
every fighter well knows. In tho first
place the New York law does not allow 4 fight
70 a finish one Of the fighters must he
knocked out prior 10 the finish. and inasmuch
rs n0st real prizchghts are torminated within
the legal limits Of boxing. that part Of tho law
is easily ohcycd. Then the fighters have 10
wear gloves weighing five ounces. and that
has the Sane difference in transforming a igh.
into boxing match that n trip from the Far
West has IN transforming two disgusting
brutes who would not be tolerated hy New
YORK law into sporting gentlemen who may
instruct our youth in manly arts and graccs
All that is necessary is 10 make proper. fine
DISTINCTIONS and the superior virtue Of New
York is apparent 1t is only the careless per-
son who Jumps AZ tie conclusion that a fight
is a fight. \ fight here Is not q fight. hut IS
ONLY an "eXhihition" or 4 boxing batch. The
same per~on will assert that the Horton law
should hc entitled "an act for the protection
and promotion Of prize fighting. But really
the Horton law is IN act for the legalization
of boxing And boxing Is not fighting. even
when Cnrbctt calls II so.