The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-05
RIGHTS OF REFEREES
OFFICIALS ARE AUTOCRATS, AND
THERE is NO APPEAL FROM
THEIR DECISIONS
RULINGS OFTEN QUESTIONABLE
Decision of Referee SiIer in the
JeffrieS-Sharkey Battle by No
Means POpuIar-ShOuId Have De-
cIared a Draw Tricky Fighters
Profit by Holding Off Until the
F1nish-SampIe= Case of Injustice.

Profit by Holding Off Until the
FInish-SampIe- Case of Injustice.
The referee of prize; fight is an auto
crat. What he decides must stand. There
Is no appeal, be he right or wrong. He
can strip a man of fame and fortune by
the wave of a hand That is what George
Siler did Friday night when, at the con-
clusion of the Jeffries-Sharkey fight for
the championship, he waved his right
hand in the direction of Jeffries' corner.
The spectators-save those who were
Jeffries partisans-were not pleased with
the decision of Referee Siler. They
thought that the sailor was entitled to as
good as a draw, II not the decision. He
had outfought Jeffries in twenty rounds,
and had been outfought by the Califor-
Man in five. Jeffries did his rushing in
the final rounds of the battle, and so i'm
pressed the referee with his presumably
returning strength that he won doubt
full decision. Since the fight it has been
shown that Jeffries was bluffing to de-
ceive the referee. The day after the bat
tie he was as helpless as child. In fact
the champion was beaten to standstill,
and today cannot raise one of his hands
from his side.
SHARKEY TERRIBLY PUNISHED.
Not that Sharkey escaped punishment.
BY no means. The sailor had marks to
show he had been in a fight. Two of his
ribs are broken, and one of his arms out
of joint But he was no worse off than
was his opponent, and should have Jared
no worse in reputation or money remuner-
alton. That is the opinion Of a majority
of the fair-minded ones who do not care
who is declared the winner SO the DC
cision is fair to both parties. Partisans
cannot be convinced. The mob follows and
Worships the champion. That has been
the rule since the beginning of ring con-
tests. The great masses can see but one
man in such contest-the champion. He
is made favorite-always. The majority
are pleased when he wins. They cannot
understand how he can lose And it is
certain that the referee is in a measure
infected with this popular idea. There
fore the adversary. of champion under
existing conditions must knock out his
man to be certain of the verdict. All of
which is not as it should be.
SILER IS HONEST.
Sailor Sharkey IS making a mistake in
alleging that the decision given against
him by George Siler was part of a fixed
scheme to award the fight to Jeffries.
There can be no truth In that story.
Siler thought he did right No one could
man as there is in sport Yet Siler has
queer ideas about some things in prize
fighting. For instance, his interpreta-
ton Of the Marquis of Queensberry rules,
Siler holds that the rules permit a
boxer to hold his opponent while he hits
HMM palmer words, that either man
can continue hitting the other while one
arm is free. Now, the Marquis Of
Queensberry rules were formulated by
that worthy patron of sport to prevent
just what Siler holds they are intended
to permit-namely: wrestling in boxing
matches, which is a part of the London
ring rule fight. Silers Interpretation is
all right If both men agree-but 1t Is not
Queensberry-it is Siler rules when inter-
preted that way.
JEFFRIES' TRICKY ADVISERS.
Jeffries advisers no doubt took advan-
tage of their knowledge that q referee
is often influenced by the windup of a
battle, and when they saw that Sharkey
was whipping their man, advised him to
fight on the defensive until near the
close Of the battle, and thcn go in and
make a grand-stand finish. And the trick
won out. For that Is just what Jeffries
did. He was certainly outfought at his
own game-sluggihg- twenty rounds
and outfought sharkey five rounds
How a referee can, figure that a man is
best because he does his lighting toward
the close, as we'll bass the opening of a
fight, while the other does all the fight
ing in the middle of the contest, and
keeps his adversary, near Queer street, is
one of those unans werable things that
crop out in this world occasionally. Per-
haps siler knows. Heeeertainly T1inks he
does, or he would not have given JET