Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-06
Los ANGELES To
BAR FIGHT FILMS
City Officials Move to Prevent
Showing of Motion Pictures
of the Battle at Reno
STAND ON OLD ORDINANCE
Mayor Alexander Asks Council to
Prevent All Prize Fighting
in the City

Motion pictures of the Jeffries- John
son fight will not be permitted in Los
Angeles if Mayor AleXanuer and other
city officials adhere to their present
ideas regarding them. There is an ordi-
nance against such exhibitions, and it
will be enforced, it is said. Mayor AL
exander would not discuss the course
he intends to pursue yesterday. City
Prosecutor Guy Eddie stated, however,
that he would enforce the ordinance.
The determination not to permit the
pictures to be shown in Los Angeles
may extend to other cities. The argu-
ment has been advanced that since
Governor Gillett would not permit the
fight to occur in the state, on the
ground that it would have been a fell
ony, it would be evasion of the law to
permit motion pictures of it to be ex-
hibited, supplying every Objectionable
feature of the battle itself.
1t was consoling to the ones who
could not go to Reno to witness the big
fight to think that they might at least
have a substitute for the original in
witnessing the motion pictures. If the
ordinance Is strictly enforced, this will
not be possible, as a measure passed on
July 26, 1897, prevents "any photograph
ic or kinetoscopic pictures or other rep
resentation of any prize fight or any
fight Of similar nature" The ordtn-
ance, which became effective without
the Mayors signature on July rs, 1897,
reads as follows:
ORDINANCE BARS FILMS
Ordinance No. 4437 (New Series).
"Section l. It shall be unlawful for
any person or persons TO glVe' atternpt
to give or assist in the giving of any
exhibition of Photographic or kineto-
scopic pictures or other representation
of any prize fight or any fight of sim
liar nature.
Sec. 2. Any person who shall vio-
late any of the provisions of this ord1n-
ance shall be deemed guilty of a mis-
demeanor, and upon conviction Thereon
shall be punished by fine of not eX-
ceeding fifty dollars or by imprison-
ment in the city Jail for term not eX-
ceeding fifty days, or may suffer both
such fine and Imprisonment"
When Guy Eddie was. asked II ne
would enforce this ordinance he repileo:
INV duties require that 1 contribute
to the enforcement of the ordinances
now in effect in Los Angeles. Any at
tempt to show pictures of the Reno
fight will be met with opposition on the
part of my office"
Chief Galloway, when shown the ord
nance, said:
LAS such an ordinance is in existence,
L shall see that it is enforced
Mayor Alexander. in message to
the council yesterday, put himself on
record as being opposed to prize fight
ing being permitted in this city. He
would not be interviewed as to his rea-
sons for being opposed to fistic tourna-
ments, but dismissed the matter with
the statement, Good Government does
not countenance prize fighting.'
The mayors message follows:
To the Honorable the City Council:
Gentlemen-I would respectfully
recommend that your honorable
bodv to amend the ordinances
of the city as to prohibit all prize
fighting or public boxing contests
within the city limits. 1t may be all
right to permit amateur boxing con-
tests in athletic clubs, where no en-
trance fee is charged and only the
members and their guests are per-
nitted to be present; and there Is
some question as to whether the
constitution and the state laws
would not prevent passing an ord
nance prohibiting such amateur
exhibitions; but certainly prize
fighting as a business should be
stopped.
Respectfully submitted,
GEO, ALEXANDER, Mayor.
The message was referred to the leg"
islation committee.