Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-01-27

THAT MISUNDERSTANDING OF
BOXING MAY RESULT IN THE
PASSAGE OF THE BILL-BOWLr
ING NEWS OF YESTERDAY
GENERAL NOTES OF INTEREST
PERTAINING TO ALL FORMS OF
SPORT.
The Legislature of West Virginia
now has under consideration Senate
Bill No. 1, introduced by Mr.. Smith,
of Tyler county, ito suppress prize
fighting" The author of the bill has
evidently undertaken to railroad IL
through both branches of the State
law-making body, but the Senate did
a very commendable act yesterday IN
putting it back to its second reading
for debate.
The bill defines "prize fighting" as
"any voluntary fight or personal en-
counter by blows, by means OF the
fists or otherwise, whether with or
without gloves, between two men for
money, or for a prize of any charac-
ter, or for any championship, or for
any thing of value, or upon the result
of which any money or anything OF
value is bet Or wagered with the
knowledge of or for the benefit OF the
parties engaged in the fight or pugi-
listic encounter, or for which any adj
mission fee is charged either directly
or indirectly"
The penalty for principals is fixed
at a fine of not more than n thou
sand dollars and imprisonment in the
p~enitentiary not less than two nor
more than ten years. The penalty for
witnesses or officials is fixed at a fine
of not more than $500 and imprison-
ment of not less than one nor more
than five years.
Aside from the remarkably severe
penalties fixed by the bill which Mr..
Smith hopes to see enacted into a law,
the measure aims a death blow at a
form of sport which is constantly
growing in popularity. The term
prize fighting is the great bugaboo
with legislators, and there is unques-
tionably a vast amount of misinfor-
nation on the subject in the minds of
those whose knowledge of boxing is
CLEANED from pulpit d%enunciations
and discussions in religious tracts.
Probably not one in a half dozen
members of the West Virginia Legis-
lature has ever seen a scientific boxing
exhibition, and the same figures in re-
verse ratio would probably measure
the popular sentiment that boxing is
synonymous with brutality.
AS a matter of fact this idea is far
from correct. There is a vast differ
ence between the old and modern
schools of boxing. In the former
bare KIN dckies were used, and the rules
permitted brutality in a certain de-
gree. Unfortunately, the opposition to
the old style of boxing has injured the
modern article. To legalize the old
style of boxing might, with some rea-
son, have been construed as sanction
ing fighting. The fighters entered a
ring and ~''roughed it" until one OF the
other was either exhausted or rem
dered unconscious by a blow.
The modern boxer goes through a
course Of training which strengthens
and hardens his muscles, improves his
wind, and develops ideas of attack and
defense. He enters the ring and boxes
with %five-oulrce gloves, which very
seldom bring the blood from a blow.
The contest becomes n of science
and endurance. In most instances a
limited number of rounds are fought.
There have been scores of such con-
tests in and about Wheeling, and while
there have frequently been h are
technically termed "knock-outs," in
every instance the defeated man, after
a few minutes of recuperation, has
walked from the ring and, barring a
few scratches, has shown no signs OF
punishment afterwards. 1t will not be
denied that there have been accidents
in the boxing ring, but they have been
insignificant in number in comparison
with the .~accidents'' on the foot ball
field.
The legislators who support Senate
bill No. lit is not likely that they
are many in number-probably do so
from conscientious motives. More
probable it is that they do so from a
mistaken idea concerning boxing.
1t has been suggested that a scien-
tifc boxing exhibition for members of
the Legislature would remove what
ever impressions may exist,
1t is more than likely that if two clever
men boxed ten or fifteen rounds for
members of the Legislature, the fate
of the Smith bill would be determined
at the close of the contest, and the de-
termination would be unfavorable to
the bill.
Boxing is a manly sport. 1t is the
art of self-defense.
1t is unnecessary to dwell upon the
instances in which even grave legisla-
tors would be thankful for proficiency
in boxing. 1t has been elevated from
a brutal sport to a scientific game. Its
defenders are the prominent athletes
of the country.
True, it has not yet taken rank
among college athletics, but this is
largely due to the associations of the
old school of 6phtinc There are hoy