The Washington herald., 1907-07-15
COLOR LINE A BLUFF
White Boxers Are Afraid Of
Some COlOred Fighters.
JUST SORT OF YELLOW STREAK
PuEs Who Are Posing as Champions
Cannot BE Induced TO Enter the
Ring with Jack johnson, Joe Jean
cite, Sam LangfOrd, and Jack
Blnckburn-Take Ridiculous stand.

Three negro boxers who have ''buffa-
! loed' most Of the white men in their
| classes will show soon In Philadelphia.
Jack Johnson, heavy weight; Sam Lang
ford, middle-weght, and Jack Blackburn
welter-weight, might claim champion
ships if lighting was done as in the old
days. For there was once a time when
champions who failed 10 meet good men
didn't retain popular favor. Now, how
ever. all that is changed, and title holders
are shy Of dangerous men.
Their failure to meet frst-class men
has aided in bringing the business 70
such pass that there is hardly a cham
pion with clear deed None Of the
white heavy weights, including Jeffrles.
! will meet Jack Johnson. Bob Fitzsim-
MONS now forty-four years Of age. has
/ taken him on because he is anxious to
/ convince the public that he is still fit for
| the ring and because he would show that,
even if the others are afraid of the big
| black, there is no streak OF yellow in
| Cornwall OF course. the fact that JEFF
! fries has never met johnson is not proof
that the champion is afraid. Probably
/ there is no orc who thinks that the negro
would last maay rounds before the best
man In the world, says Carl Downing,
in the New York Globe
/ But Mike Schreek, Jack O'Brien, Tommy
/ Burns, and the host of heavy-weights can
make no such claim. The color line which
/ they have drawn was painted with yell
/ low brush. So too, with Joe jeanette. a
negro one shade lighter than Johnson.
/ Repeated efforts 10 find a match for him
( have met with failure; yet there are good
/ Judges Of fighting who think that he can
/ whip any man in the country, barring
/ Jeffries. Though not known as well as
Johnson he is probably as good The big
black has failed in four contests TO knock
him out.
Same Among MiddIe-weights.
The situation as to the middle-welght
division is similar That strange thing,
the color line. has been drawn By lot
/ of white bruisers who never had more
/ social standing than obtains IN a rabbit
warren None OF the best white middle
weights will meet Langford. But every
one who has seen him Sight knows him
to be one Of the frst-class men Of a
! decade.
Joe Thomas, finished fighter and claim
ant of the welter title, was asked about
the Boston negro some time ago. "Oh.
I wouldn't fight Niger" he answered.
/ Jack C'Twin'O Sullivan won't meet him.
nor viii Brother Mike. Almost starving
/ to death in Boston. notwithstanding that
/ he is a better fighter than white men who
/ have tucked away nice bank accounts. he
was forced TO go TO England during the
/ first part Of the year After easily beat
ing two middle-weights there was no one
to face him except Gunner NOR. who
weighs forty pounds more than he
! When the Boston negro returned there
were no more white men ready to meet
him than there was before So he had
/ to get on another match with George
Gunther, a second-rate negro. whom he
/ has twice beaten decsively. DESPITE
these facts there are several boxers with
white skins but streaked hearts. who
are claiming the middle-weight champion
/ ship.
/ Going farther down, into the welter-
weight division, there is q like situation.
| Who is there among the men now squab-
/ bling for the title 10 meet Jack Black
/ burn, the Philadelphia negro? Three or
/ four white fighters claim the title. and Il
/ is almost certain that not one OF them
would be as strong as a feather buster
at 12 pounds Yet here Is a stlperb
colored fighter. unquestonably a welter-
weight. who has never been beaten ex-
cept by Joe Cans. and seemingly none
Of these boxers care to tackle him.
The darker skin is the insurmouutable
obstacle. Boxers who were raised on the
BOwery or in the tcnements of some other
city are as delicate IN the color of their
social connections as an Alabama major.
Are Unknown TO Fame.
Sometimes the excuse is varied. often
it is said that there is little money in
fighting colored men. There IS truth in
that assertion. But the truth is there
because the colored boxers have been so
| persistently barred from contests with
white men that they have not acquired
regulations commensurate with their
abilities. Had the white heavy-weights.
middle-weights. and weIter-weights not
shut out Johnson. Langford, and Black
burn, their regulations would be great
enough to draw thousands to any club.
This leads to the situation among the
light-weights Joe Cans, holder of the
title, and IS dark-hued as Jack Black
burn. * net ostracized by a single white
/ lightweight Of Importance.
Frank Erne might have drawn the color
line, avoided a meeting with Cans. and
/ held to his championship till Jimmy Britt
Knocked him out. But the acquisition or
the title, along with Cans marvellous
lighting ability and the shrewd manage
ment OF Herford, made aim & great draw
ing card. Clubs can offer hin! big purses
for where he fights there will be a bic
crowd. The small end of the purse will
be large, and he is such a great fighter
that the reputation Of none of the modern
/ light-weights could suffer by defeat al
his hands. As result every light-weigbt
/ in the country would jump at a chance TO
meet him. No color line bars the Balti-
more boxer.
/ If La gford, Johnson, and Blackburn
each could get three or four flrst-class
white men TO box them their regulations
too, might grow so big that the color
1 line would fade away.
/ How ridiculous is it for a prize fighter
an outlaw to good society, ostracized Inv
most respectable persons, and in many
States criminal by law, to become so
exquisite that he refuses to be licked NV
a "nigger!"
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DEPARTMENTAL LEAGUF