The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-13
.LEG|sLATORWANTSTO
PROHIBIT FOOTBALL
Dr. R. S, Powell's Bill Will Raise
Storm Of Protest Among
Dcvotccs Of College Game.
GAME is CLEAN AND HEALTHY
Evils o. Two Years Ago Have
Been a. olishcd and New Rules
Have Brought a Change.
nY MAG.

IS NY MAC.
Football, the greatest Of all Ameri-
can college games. Is to receive a 1T
tic attention In the Legislature this
year probably very little attention. for
Or. r. s. Powell's bill to prohibit tha
playing Of football in Virginia will
receive as little notice, as It deserves.
That is at least what those who are
Interested In tho game, and who prob
ably know more about 1t than the
father OF the prohibitive bill think ~
tho matter.
DR.. Powell who is Of the House, may
be very sincere In his desire to have
football prohibited In Virginia. He
probably is. But If he could imagine
the storm OF protest that will follow
from every quarter In the State where
football is known and played he might
change his mind. as every free Ameri-
can may do; and let the matter drop.
Too Lutte, TOO Late.
Certain 1t Is that two years ago DR..
PoHell's bill might have received due
consideration. AT that time IT was W
Tor discussion all over the country
Disupproval for the game as 1t was
played then was strongly expressed.
and those who had charge OF chang
ing the rules OF the game SO as to
make 1t moro In accord with general
views. saw that 1t was time to act.
The game, as every one at all TAMIL
lar with football knows, was changed
very materially. Open plays rather
than mass plays were made the fea-
ture OF the game. more stringent reg
uiations were laid down for clean
playing and fairness, and proper pun
ishmeut was imposed for all brutality
and unnecessary roughness. President
Roosevelt was at the head of the
movement to clean up the gridiron,
and he worked with characteristic
energy. AS result. the game to-day
IL very different from what 1t was be-
fore all this hue and cry was raised.
and the change has been found very
satisfactory. not only by the players
themselves. but as we'll by those who
knew no more about football than
what they had learned by watching
from the grandstand. II there be any
further change necessary for the I'M.
provement OF the game, 1t will be
made at the next meeting of the rules
committee.
Clean Game Now.
AS 1t is played now. football Is as
clean as any other game. AS we'll
introduce bill to prohibit baseball
for baseball Is as rough as the great
college game, and a baseball game
always entails more disputes and more
quarrels than one on the Eridiron.
So far as is known, no one was killed
in footba,. ,ast season, and there was
no great number of injuries reported
through the press. Why not prohibit
racing: There is rarely a season In
which a jocney Is not killed or badly
hurt If some legislator wants to start
in the business OF prohibiting athletics,
let him: go through the whole gnmut.
for he will not find single game in
which player is not liable to some
FORM OF injury.
Football Is distinctly college game.
In several instances 1t has been pro-
hibited In various colleges-always
with the same result, that 1t was re-
established. 1t was never more popular
than 1t Is to-day. It Is not game for
towards. It requires stamina and en-
durance. 1t produces Drawn and muscle,
and the man who engages in 1t Is all
the better for the exercise of his skill
his quickness and his muscle, which
he ma! derive from football.