The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1908-09-10

Judge Harmon's devotion to law, OF
der and right civil conduct was neve
better exempliiied than in his volur
tary aid in behalf of the good nam
and the honor of the state of Ohio
when more than all others, he uphel,
the hands of the late Governor Nasl
in preventing the Jeffries. Rhulin priz,
fight in 1901.
His action in that case was typica
of the man and of his exalted ideals
of public duty. Ohio's soil had neve
been desecrated by the grosser in
famies of the prize ring. In this cast
of the state against the promoters o
the Jeffries-Rhulin fight, to enjoir
them from holding the contest, Judge
Harm on, associated with other distin
admitted was one of the most master
full arguments ever made by lawyer
in a case of the kind. His argument
in that case still stands as a mode
of eloQuence, logic and high moral
conviction. 1t rings true to the man
Among other things he said:
Gentlemen on the other side have
lauded athletics, and so do l. But if
athletics are TO make men brutes
and prize-tighters, it is time to call a
halt upon them. If writing is to lead
a man to forgery, he should not be
taught to write. If reading is to turn
his mind into sewer, and his heart
and soul into receptacle for filth,
instead of opening to him the way to
higher aims and higher views of life,
and of men and events. he should not
be taught to read. If ladies are to
be taught to dance, does it follow that
they should attend concert hall and
public dances? Let the gentlemen
think of the point to which their eu-
logies of athletics are leading them
and they will move more slowly.
And they decry what they are
pleased to call our resort to the 'ex-
traordinary' remedy Of calling in the
aid of the state. But this is an ex-
traordinary case, the like of which
Of law. A private nuisance is one
which affects private individual,
while public nuisance is the concern
of no one in particular but of the pub
lie in general-that is, the state, and
therefore we called in the aid of the
state. If concentrating
smell affects the aesthetic nostrils of
the gentlemen who promote prize
fights and May festivals, the power
of the state may be invoked, but
when something comes to contain
mate the purity of life, the good or
der, the decency of the city, these
gentlemen cry aloud with one voice,
cellor be stayed.
These gentlemen say they want to
hold this contest TO pay off the saen-
gerfest Indebtedness. Was there ever
a bank clerk or a collector who took
the money of the bank or his employ
ers who did not give the same ex-
cuse? He commits the crime because
he needs the money, and the men to
whom he should look for staunch up
holding OF the law. band themselves
together with a debased and debasing
element because they, too, need the
money to pay their debts. They have
formed Il criminal partnership for the
purpose of paying off their indebted
ness just as everybody who commits
a crime offers as an excuse that he
Geeded the money"
AT this point Judge Harmon graph
ically described the train of evils that
follow in the wake of prize fight
he said:
The court must look to things that
threaten to afIlict society. Brady
gays if one of these two men should
be killed he wouldn't feel as though
his hands We're bloody. | know this
court would be unwilling to take upon
Its shoulders so dread a responsible
ity."
Answering the contention that to
prevent the fight would work a finan-
cial hardship to the promoters of the
match. jud ge Harmon said: why
limit the operations of the club to
this one event? There are other
debts than the debts OF these gentle
men to pay The debt on the South
ern railroad is bothering the city
somewhat. Why not keep up the
of these crowds and give
prize fights and pay off the debt OF
the city for the Southern road?"
At this point Judge Harmon refer
N ia ri tIa ,.tt
dom of Captain John j. Desmond who
fell before the rioters in 1884. Con
cluding, he said;
Judge Peck has told us that we
too, may become martyrs II we do not
pause i'm our efforts Very
we'll, | have lived too long and have
taken too great part in public and
private affairs to be deferred by what
threats may be made. | am not a
hero, but II martyrdom in the line of
duty Is to come II will come al the
hands of thugs Brought here because
1f this contest. to be given to pay the
debts Of the promoters of the saen-
serfest and the prize fight"
Commenting on Judge Harmon's ar
sument in this case the Cincinnati |
Commercial Tribune SAID; "A mag
lificent forensic effort, said Bettin-
ger during his argument Of the
speech of Judge Harmon for the state !
n the proceedings before Judge Hol-
lister yesterday. And a magnificent
orensic effort 1t was. Upon It's con,
;iusion the throng of friends and ac. |