New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-05
ONE FOR THE SLUGGERS.

| Prizefightng in NewYO is not to cease quite
SO as President York Of the Police Board
| expected 1t TO and many reputable citizens
were led to hope 1t would by his emphatic dec
| laration that licenses expiring on May ] would
not be renewed for the period prior to Septem-
Der 1, when the Horton Law Repeal bill goes
into effect. 1t has been decided in n case in
volving one pugilistic manager and two per
formers that where the specific provisions of the
Horton law are complied with no license is re-
qured, and Cd the face of 1t this judicial deter
mnation appears TO be we'll founded. The con-
ditions under which the law permits sparring
| matches to be held in a building owned or
leased for not less than one year by an incorpo-
rated association do not include the possession
of a license from the Police Board, and now
that various official inteects have been brought
to bear upon the subject the opinion begins to
prevail that the promoters of a prosperous in
dustry have been unnecessarily giving UP good
money for several years. However, that con-
sideration is only trfng offset TO the joyful
emotions which have been produced behind
large array of diamond studded shirtfronts by
the timely deliverance of Magistrate Meade
"On with the fight let JOY be unconfined.' is ting
universal sentiment in circles where the art of
knocking out your man, unless you get a straight
tip to the contrary, is assiduousy cultivated.
III is UNDERSTOOD tnat the ponce VIII DOW TO
the bench and make no further arrests on the
ground that licenses have expired; in fact Mr.
York. who rather late in declaring his
resOlute hostility to the NewYork prizerng
but whose conduct has recently been consistent
with his utterances, says that there seems TO be
nothing more for him to do We venture, how
ever. to suggest TO Mr.. York that he may be
mistaken in this as he appears to have been in
respect TO the matter Of a license. The law
tends its protection 10 sparring matches, not to
prizetights and though it has been generally
not judicay-held that the police could not be
forced to discriminate. 1t has never been doubted
that they had the power to stop sO-caled spar
ring match so soon as 1t developed the charac-
tcrstic features of priZefight. Chief Deyery
himself. ii will be remembered, adopted that
view on a certain occasion and maintained it
with great firmness and volubility until, his
powerful mind having been suddenly illumi-
mated, he withdrew his opinion for repairs,
which were quickly and satisfactorily COM
pleted
Several important engagements have been
made for the near future and a large amount
OF MASKING is eagerly anticipated. In view of
the fact that only four months are left in which
to make money while the blood runs the in
spring belief prevails that all records for vicious
smuggling will be broken, and that the last estate
of the priZering in New-York will be such as TO
justify its beneficiares in wearing mourning for
the Horton law all the rest of their lives. This
of course. provided the Police Board assumes
that ii has no authority TO interfere with the
summer programme But what does President
York really think about it? Our opinion is that
he still has it in his power TO make the game
not worth the playing, or at the very least to
put his colleagues on record in an interesting
manner.