The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-25
COMMISSION GOVERNMENE FOR BOXING IS
 GAINING IN FAVOR

Commission government for E1lal boxing game has now been siven a thorough trial in New York, V1scon@ sin and other states, and. althouesB neither fighters, fans nor promotes seem entirely satisfied with the ra-> suits, the scheme seems to afford tho best solution for the problems con fronting those interested in the prers ervation of the sport
 Since the days of Figg, the faEhe7 of modern boxing, nearly two cems turies ago, the game has had to con tend with enemies without and with in. Broughton, the second Champion of England, after inficting Injuries on an opponent which caused his death, saved the sport by draSfurs up a set of rules which governed prizefghting for almost a century. For 9, time the sport fIour4shed, ana then. in the latter part Of the eigh- teenth century, the grafters and bunco men got control and gave the sport a blow from which it was slow in recovering. Jackson, the moaf scientific boxer up to that time. re- stored the fstic sport to public fa5@ yor. About a. century ago the PIsAs listic club was launched in London. and under it's rule the sport again f1ourished. The London. Prize Ring rules took the place of BroHghfons8 code. About fifty years ago the ganne' was again outlawed in both England ed11O E<AInST1C9z put the A4u95uSDe eeEAlr rules and the introduction Of boxing gloves saved it.~
 New York has made many at tempts to regulate the game. The lsold Horton law permitted boxing con tests at reputable clubs, at which a decision could be rendered. The Mo l Coy-Choynski bout and other sus- picious affairs soured the fans on the
 sport and in 1900 the Horton law ! was repealed Then came the men bership clubs with unlimited oppoEe 1 tunities for fakes and trickerv.
 boxers were not slow to take advant- ! age of. The F'rawIey law, creating
 an athletic commission to govern boxing, was passed in 1911, and since then the game has regafned much o9 i it's old time popularity. The commit sion as now constituted has come h for much criticism, and the feature of the law which prevents the giving of decisions by the referee $ far from popular. but by and large the law has worked we'll, and has been a vast improvement over the oId
 membership" graft. Payment Of the commissioners, and the reduction i of the commission to one man, are among the many suggestions thaB have been offered.
 Last year the boxing clubs Of New York state took in $65o, GOO, and oG
 this sum the state got s32.o00 in
 taxes. The last report of the Wiscom.
 sin commission shows that the clubS | of that state took in $245, GOO, oG which the state got $12.OoO.
 1 While it is only in the United
 States that the government has gone
 into partnership with the boxers
 England, France and Australia have
 regulations which are no less strfn4 gent than those prevailing in the states which have adopted the com l mission system. Tn Australia tho
 leaders in the sport have had sufl- ctent influence to induce the govern
 ment authorities. to adopt boxing ia the public schools. Although France l is the latest country to take mp ''IE
 boxe," they had perfected before the outbreak of the war an organization 1 that was in many respects superi oI ] to the athletic commission plan. The l French Federation of Boxing CIubG 1 had an tronclad control of the sport Grating boxers and promoters were quickly put out of business, and the 1 federation had the power to 1mposG l penalties for violation of it's rules
 that made the boxers think twice be-
 fore they tried to put anything oygE and then decide not to. do tt. OA
 course, the French fans get stunE
 once in a while but never twice bJ
 the same man.