Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-28
JOHNSON WOULD
NOT THROW FIGHT
Prominent Sporting Writer Declares
Pride of Race Is too Strong In
The Negro Champion.
BY w. w. Naughton.


1t was Shakespeare who told us that
to the jealous-minded tribes light as
air. become combinations strong as
proof of Holy Writ"
If pugilIsm had had much of a vogue
In the bard of Avons time he would
have noticed. probably, that tribes Of
less density than air were the little
things from which big scandals sprung
Inc other day one George Littlc, who
Is described as manager of Jack John
son, champion of the world, was proba-
bly the innocent cause of a good big
blast scandal In answer to a telegram
of Inquiry as TO what odds should be de-
mandcd OF offered before placing bet
on johnson, Little wired:
Don't make any bets on johnson until
my letter reaches you" OF words TO that
effect,
Here was n succulent morsel for the
gossIps TO chew on. Little's wire was
construed into an intimation that there
was something doing In the Jeffries-
man to whom the dispatch was sent
warned TO do nothing IN the betting line
until he heard further from Littlel
NOTHING WRONG
To the writer the fact that Little sent
such telegram Is sufficient proof that
there Is nothing wrong with the big
fight. or at least nothing that Little
HAS perSOndi knOWleuRc OIL II con-
spiracy had been Matched for the people
making clean-up on the fight of tho
century l doubt. to begin with, whether
Little would have been taken Into the
plot.
If he were "wised" to a situation of
that kind, depend upon 1t the master
minds which conceived the giant swindle
would see to Ii that Little was not likely
TO make any such break as the wording
of his telegram suggests to the minds
of some people.
In some ways Little is funny fellow
and he takes great pride out OF the fact
that he is World Champion Jack John
sons business representative. He feels.
maybe. that he should be heard from in
anything which has tendency TO estab-
lish the odds on the coming fight and
that. probably. Is why he telegraphed
his friend TO make no move In the mat
ter until the letter OF advice arrived.
One thing the Little telegram was re-
sponsible for, however; II caused every
possible angle OF a Jeffries-Johnson bet
ting conspiracy to be thrashed out In
IL different ways.
You couldn't gNt Jeffries TO be 4
party to anything Queer" said one.
"a thing like that could be pulled off
without Jeffrles being a party to it,"
said another.
And. Of course. 1t could. All that would
be necessary would be to find out Jack
Johnson's price-if he has a price-and
arrange with him to flop"
fight probably than there ever. was on
any similar happening In the history of
pugilism. There will be betting In Paris,
In London. in Sydney and Melbourne. In
the English-speaking countries they will
be guided by what has happened before
when a man has returned to the ring
after years of inactivity. They will back
johnson, in all likelihood. and back him
heavily.
1t is more than possible that those of
this country who are guided in their
betting operations by practical common
sense Will uphold the Johnson end or the
not likely to be on the short end of the
wagering.
HAS GREAT SUPPORT.
The negro population. to man. Will
support the colored fighter with their
price that any expert In the cheating line
could afford to pay johnson for tho ap-
solute control of the betting market
would be more-a great deal more, proba-
bly-than the winners end of the purse
and the winners share OF the picture
profits would amount to.
Such things have been done, though,
of course. on smaller scale than out.
lined by the possibilities in the present
instance.
Johnson says he was offered small
fortune to throw his fght with ketchel.
He may be stating what is fact, or ne
evident Is that he can be approached on
such subject without being tempted to
commit murder. / have known worlds
champion or two in my time that no ono
would dare TO go to with any proposition
OF that kind.
But-and this appears strange In View
of what precedes It'll do not think there
Is enough money In the world to influ-
ence Jack Johnson to throw tho coming
fight. Tho pride of race is too strong in
Johnson. He knows that there never
was A negro before him. no matter what
his station in life, who was such an idol
among colored people as he is at pres
ent
This In a way will be the ultima thule
Of heavyweight championship. There Will
be no challenges read at the ringside-
There Is no man standing In the back
ground whom the public considers Is yet
10 be reckoned with The man who Wins
In all probability will never engage In
another championship fight
To be that man, and particularly In
Johnson's case. Is rare distinction. Sue
cess for johnson may, for that matter,
mean racial trouble in some sections
but that is another story.
1t Is said that when Johnson won from
foregone conclusion, by tho
steamboats, were tied
IN and trains bereft of their colored hclp.
The extent OF the jubilation among tho
negroes II Johnson wins from Jeffries
Is almost too vast a thing for the nina
10 compass.
Johnson Is the only negro who ever
had the chance to attain such nstic
heights. and I'll be bound that In the !
matter of straight and desperate fighting
he will be found black through and
through.