The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-07-17
PROMOTERS
KILL PUGILISM

With all the state legislatures
throughout the United States closed.
the boxing game stands little better
than in midwinter, when there was
talk of boxing bills everywhere. Only
one state passed a law that made the
sport legal, and the foolish manner in
which the ambitious promoters acted
almost sounded the death knell of the
act before 1t had become effective.
The hope of the middle west CEN
tered in the bin passed by the Badger
lawmakers, but before the sports OF
Wisconsin scarcely realized II. Cover
nor Davidson had dealt II a death blow.
For years Wisconsin was the center Of
pugilistic interest, because of the sue
cesstul way the game was conducted
I'm Milwaukee. There the promoters
were satisfied to run the game as II
should be run. There was no SQUAD
bling or internal strife. The sport was
allowed TO live.
Nearly every critic in the country
looked to the Badger lawmakers TO re-
vive the game in the west, and when
the bill got by both branches of the
legislature there was a sigh of relief
But Governor Davidson, with one
swoop of his hand, undid what had
taken months to do, and now 1t will be
months and probably years before an
other effort is made to revive the game
Had the Badger authority signed the
boxing bill the sport would have taken
on a new lease of life, and In all prob
oh h.
been more inclined to look with favor
on bills legalizing the sport two years
hence.
Minnesota boxing enthusiasts got a
bill through one branch Of the legisla-
ture and then let II die a natural death
without expanding any effort on It, Had
Wisconsin acted favorably, there il
little doubt that two years from now
Minnesota would have fallen in line
But the time will come when the mem
bers of the different legislatures will
realize that the boxing fans are fac
tor In the community. and that they
should be as much respected as the
represent baseball fan. e. He-sss
Boxing Great Sport. asa
Boxing today stands at the head OF
the sports of the country In spite OF
the general recognition of the great
national game of baseball. A worlds
championship contest between the
fighters will stir up the entire country
more than baseball will.
When riding from New York to Chi
cago this spring, a crowd Of we'll
posted business men were discussing
Johnson and Jeffries Every one of
hos so aE@e
the two foremost heayyweights OF the
day stood. All, of course, were won
dering then whether Jeffries would
really come out and agree to meet the
big colored fighter.
Later the conversation drifted TO
baseball, and Of the seven in the party
six knew that the Chicago Cubs were
the worlds champions, while the sew
enth had never seen game Of baseball
and didn't know that there was such
thing as a worlds series.
Finally the discussion arose as to
which was the greatest sport, baseball
or pugilism. and all agreed that fight
ing had II on the national pastime.
One rather elderly man, who evidently
was a foreigner, said he had followed
the big fighters ever since he could
remember. but that he was not a sport.
nor had he ever attended either a fight
or a baseball game, but said he be-
lieved that In the makeup of every
man was enough animal spirit. or, as
he put IL, enough lighting blood, to
boil when the question Of world suprev
macy came up.
Few men reach the age of maturity
without having had at least one good
scrap, be they either minister or black
smith, That one fight or half a dozen
fights or even more, has left In
mind it's impress, and let line catch
his eye in newspaper or magazine Of
worlds championship fight and he will
take time to stop and read it,
Fight Stories Sell Papers.
The great newspaper publishers OF
today will agree that worlds cham
pionship battle as a news feature il
more interesting than worlds cham
pionship baseball game. Where tests
have been made, the fight has been
found to sell more papers than ma
tional pastine contest, regardless re
who the principals might be.
This fact alone Is enough to convince
the public that there Ia a wider general
interest in pugilism than In baseball.
OF course. day in and day out. base
ball will cause more talk and draw
more people. but II Is because there
are more ball clubs and the price If
admission is not one-tenth or one
twentieth as much as Ii charged to see
a worlds championship battle.
If Jack johnson succeeds in whip
ping Stanley KetcheI and Al Kaufman
and then meets Jeffries in "a finish bait
tie for the worlds title more people
will be interested In its outcome than
were ever before interested in any
one sporting event in the history III
the world.
Additional SPORTS On Page fs.