Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-10
Declares He Will Act Only Where
He Has Authority Regard
ing Fight Pictures
DECLINES TO BE BLUFFED
Asserts That Abuse of Executive
Power Is More to Be Dreaded
Than Other Vices
ASSOCIATED Pressl

NEW YORK, July 9.-Mayor Gaynor
fatty stated today that he would not
use arbitrary power to suppress the eX-
hibition of the Jeffries-Johnson fight
pictures. In a letter to Rev. O. e. Mil
Ter of the international reform bureau
Mayor Gaynor wrote:
IF it lay in my power to say whether
the pictures should be exhibited, it
would not take me long to decide it.
l do not see how it can do anyone
any good to look at them. But will
you be so good as to remember that
ours is a government of laws and not
of men Will you please get that well
into your head? l am not able to do
as l like as mayor. L must take the
law just as it is, and you may be alb
solutely certain that 1 shall not take
the law into my own hands.
You say you are glad to see that the
mayors of many cities have ordered
that these pictures shall not be ex-
hibited. Indeed? Who set them up as
autocrats? If there be some valid law
giving any mayor such power, then he
can exercise it; otherwise, not.
THE growing exercise of arbitrary
power in this country by those put in
office would be far more dangerous and
is far more to be dreaded than certain
other vices which we all wish to min
imize or be rid Of
WASHINGTON, July AT the or
der Of Col. Gerard, commander OF
Fort Myer, cavalrymen last night
guarded the Alexandria county Jail on
Fort Myer Heights, where early yes
terday soldiers made an attempt to
lynch Robert Jackson, negro con-
fined there, who had stabbed Private
Scott of battery D, Third field artillery,
in an argument resulting from the
Jeffries-Johnson fight.
SEATTLE, July AT a special
meeting of the cabinet of the Ministeri-
al federation yesterday resolutions were
adopted protesting against permitting
the exhibition of the Jeffries-J ohnson
fight pictures in Seattle. Mayor Hiram
c. Gill has declared that he will not
interfere, but the ministers hope to in
duce him to change his attitude. II
not, they will endeaYor to invoke the
aid of the courts.
NEW YORK, July 9-Before election
of officers, preparatory to it's final bust
ness session today. the Young Peoples
Christian Temperance union of the
JJniVersalist church, in annual conVen-
ton here, put into formal resolution
the sentiments against the exhibition OF
the Jeffries-J Johnson fight pictures.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark, July "a ne
gro ball scheduled to take place mere
lin celebration of Jack Johnson's VIC
tory over James ]. Jeffries,' will not
occur. Chief of Police Mcmahon yes
terday refused the negroes permission
to hold the event. The town of Van
Buren,, Ark, has prohibited the exhl-
bition of the fight pictures.
LINCOLN, Neb., July 9.-Attorney
General Thompson today advised GOV
ernor Shallenberger that the statutes
of the state do not prohibit the eXhi-
bition of prize fight pictures. lie de-
clares that each community would nave
to take action regarding the matter
EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio, July g.
Mayor Samuel Crawford, in announc-
ing he would not prohibit the fight pic
lures here, declared there was no more
harm in showing the fight pictures
than in presenting d wild west snow
"This agitation over the country Is
simply advertising the pictures ne
said. IF people remained quiet the
public soon would forget the fight