The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-11
Prize Fighters and Other Athletes He new-He Phi
losophizes on the Need Of Healthfd Sports.

half dozen sets of boxing gloves and
encouraged their crews in boxing.
When ! was police commissioner. I
heartily approved the effort to get box
ing clubs started in New York on a
clean basis. Later I was reluctantly OBJ
liged to come to the conclusion that the
prize ring had become hopelessly de-
based and demoralized, and as Governor
aided in the passage of and signed
the bill putting a stop to professional
boxing for money. This. was because
some of the prize fighters themselves
were crooked, while the crowd Of hang
ers-on who attended and made up and
profited by the matches had placed the
whole business on a basis of CONNER
cialism and brutality that was intoler-
able.
L shall always maintain that boxing
contests themselves make good, healthy
sport. II is idle to compare them with
bull fighting; the torture and death of
the wretched horses in bull fighting n
enough of itself to blast the sport, no
matter how great the skill and prowess
shown by the bull fighters. Any sport
in which the death and torture of ami
mails is made to furnish pleasure to the
spectators is debasing. There should al
ways be the opportunity provided in q
glove fight or bare fist fight to stop II
when one competitor is hopelessly out
classed or too badly hammered.
Some Near Views OF Fighters.
But the men who take part in these
fights are hard as nails, and it il not
worth while to feel sentimental about
their receiving punishment which, as a
matter of fact, they do not mind. OF
course. the men who look on ought to
be able to stand up with the gloves, or
use for the type of sportsmanship which
consists merely in looking on at the
feats of some one else.
Some as good citizens as know are or
were prize fighters. Take Mike Donovan.
OF New York. He and his family repre-
sent a type of American citizenship Of
which we have a right to be proud.
Mike is a devoted temperance man, and
can be relied upon for every movement
in the interest of good citizenship ] was
first intimately thrown with him when
was police commissioner.
One evening he and I-both in dress
suits attended a temperance meeting
of Catholic societies. 1t eliminated in
a lively set-to between myself and a
Tammany Senator. who was a very good
fellow, but whose ideas of temperance
differed radically from mine. and. as the
event proved, from those of the ma
regarded himself as my backer-he was
sitting on the platform beside me-and
think felt as pleased and interested as
IL the set-to had been physical instead
of merely verbal. Afterward l grew to
know him WELL both while / was Gov
ernor and while I was President and
many a time he came on and boxed
with me.
Battling Nelson was another staunch
questions of political and Industrial life:
although he once expressed to me some
commiseration because. as President, L
did not get anything like the money
return for my services that he aggre-
gated during the same term of years in
the ring. Bob Fitzsimmons was another
good friend of mine. He has never for
gotten his early skill as a blacksmith.
and among the things that 1 value and
always keep in use is a penholder made
by Bob out of horseshoe, with an
inscription saying that it is MADE for
and presented to President Theodore
Roosevelt by his friend and admirer
Robert FitZsimmons."
I have for long time had the friend
ship of John l.. Sullivan. than whom
in his prime no better man ever stepped
into the ring. He is now Massachu-
sets farmer. John used occasionally to
visit me at the White House. his advent
always causing A distinct flutter among
the waiting Senators and Congressman
When / went to Africa he presented me
with a gold-mounted rabbits foot for
luck. I carried it through my African
trip; and l certainly had good luck.
The Squared Circles Ambassador.
On one occasion one Of my prize-fight-
ing friends called on me at the White
House on business. He explained that
he wished to see me alone, sat down
opposite me, and put very expensive
cigar on the desk saying, Have a
cigar" / thanked him and said ! did
not smoke, to which he responded, Put
il in your pocket" He then added
Take another; put both in your pocket"
This / accordingly did.
Having thus shown at the outset the
necessary formal courtesy. my visitor,
an old and valued friend. proceeded to