The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-14
7. R. DOWN ON PRIZEFIGHHS
HOPES HE'IE nan LiST, avn
DOESN'T WANT PICTJ RES.
Thinks BoNlns Ought To ne Encouraged
aud knows same BONers Who Arc
coed Men. hut says Conditions SUR
rounding PriIerinE Are scandalOus.


rounding PriZerinE Are scandAlOus.
Col Roosevelt has written this piece
for next Saturday OIiook
L hAv. always been fond Of DO ring. and
have always hehcr"d IA Il as vigorous.
manly paAiiyns me - those Vastimes
which have a distinct moral and physical
value hacauso they encourage such es-
sAntial virtues as courage. hardih"od,
endurance and self control Until within
few years used To boz a good deal
myself and when vas young several
times took Part IN contests II public 80
sent public nature generally, lam bound
to say, with III sgccsss think boring u
a sport Which should he encouraged
among boys and Young men generally /
have been glad ~ help ~ 49, tar as could
in the army and navy. whore. believe. Il
has been an excellent thing for he enlisted
men when | was Police Commissioner
was much struck by a sta'".asnt mad"
tn me by Jacuh Riis to the eject that the
e~tab lishrnent II boxing clubs IN many 81
the poorer districts had resulted in good
In rather unexpected ways. that " u had
not only given the vigorous young fellows
WIN otherwise would Join gangs a
legitimate outlet TOR their activities but
had also markedly reduced the number Of
ARRAYS IN which the knife was used. The
spirit produced hy the boxing had told
against knife fighting and distinctly dis
Outraged unfair piays
Therefore from every standpoint !
believe m the encouragement Of boxing
as sport Moreover boxing ~ u pro-
| fe-sion has its good side also. Among the
men whose friendship and regard | have
really valued ! could name "A number u
! professional boxers includgnReeveral ring
Champiuus The men t. whom refer
/ found square. decent men. who showed
/ themselves good CITIZENS when their good
citizenship was tested approved 81 the
movement which in this State at the
/ time that I was PoliCs. Commissioner re-
suited IA the enactment 81 "A law permit
/ ting contests between professional boxers
under conditions which were meant u
I safe guard the sport against brutality and
1 the other evils which have "vsryw here
resulted sooner or later in the suppression
OF the prir"ring | saw several 90 these
public boxing contests in which the an
tent Of the Law was carried out In good
faith.
Nevertheless even under this Law
abuses Crept IN and finally one or twp
fights oCc'IrTe where the surrounding
circumstances were 20 sCapdalous that
when ] was Governor ! was Obliged To-
advocate and finally TO secure III. repeal
ri the Law under which the con eSts took
place feeling convinced. together with the
! grea' ma lprity Of the citizens az the state,
that under " almost all that made prize
fighting Objectionable and demuralizing
hal gradually been revival
Now this was nv experience. the expert
ence ~ man who. 81 far from being
pretuIired against boxing, wa- and - Il
warm advocate of H. ard who At the out
set hal not the slightest prejudice against
professional boxing that il. boxing for
purses of money and who has numbered
among his friends many men who we're
profess iouals and had fought for money
prizes lam sure that what has happened
In New York will happen IN the nation AT
large and that prizehghting will hc, as
II ought to he. stopped in every state OF
the CUiun. Since u was STOPPED IN New
York the conditions surrounding the ring
have grown worse and not better. The
money pTiIss fought Tor are enormous
and are a potent source Of decentralization
iu thems"lves while they are often 40
arrAug.. ~ either 10 30 a premium an
crockett sEss Or else to reward nearly a.
amply the man who fails as the man who
sue ..s.!s The betting and gambling
upon the Tes ult are thoroughly uEh ealthy.
and the moving picture part OF the rro-
ceeiIugs has introduced "A new method OF
money getting and Of demo TAliZation. In
addition the last contest provoked a very
unfor'urat ate display % race antagonism
| sincerely trust thar public sentiment will
he 49, aroused and Will make itself felt 50
effectively a. 20 guarantee that this IL the
last pr1eAghi 10 take place In the United
II some method could be devised to stop
-TuvonopE RooaEyutv