The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-04-08
t.@A<M
A BATTLE AND A WAR

sooner or later, the ascendancy of
Jack johnson, pugilist. in his chosen
heid OF activity, would be a thing of
the past. AS to whether or not, at
38. he could be defeated by a COM
paratively green and awkward husky
of %. there was much doubt. 1t is
evident that Johnson has allowed
himself TO grow old. Otherwise. Will
lard could not have withstood the
torrent of blows rained upon him
almost at will for 25 rounds by his
colored opponent. As it was, Will
lard simply allowed Johnson to wear
himself out hitting him and then,
when Johnson was tired, when the
recent champion had literally "lost
his punch" Willard felled him much
as a Newfoundland dog would swipe
10 earth some puny antognist. All
the skill was Johnson's. But the
strength and the endurance belong
ed TO the white giant. So once again
iti has ben demonstrated that, not
] withstanding the voluble assertions
of its defenders, pugilism is not ne
%cessarily asscience at all. Willard,
even though he wears the champion
ship belt, represents little besides
physique.
So much for the disclosures of
yesterdays fistic encounter. The
white race has taken from the col
ored h trophy that has been held
by Jack Johnson for seven years.
Never has 1t been retained longer by
a heavyweight champion. Jeffries
alone Of Johnson's predecessors held
the belt for as many years. Natural
ly the devotees and patrons of the
sport" Of pngilism, being chiefly
whites, have been impatient for
Johnson's defeat. And, more than
this, there Is enough racial feeling
almost everywhere to make it q bit
annoying to think of n full-blooded
negro knocking out the best the eau
casians have to offer. And SO the
one passion of pugilism the last sev-
en- years has been to find some white
skinned fighter who could lay low
this redoubtable black. But the
question is whether the game can
ever entirely from the set
back given it by Johnson's champion
ship. Will 1t not always be remem-
bered that for even long ars the
best man in the prize ring was a
negro? Will 1t not always be feared
that history may repeat itself? ii
q, man, who is clearly low in the scale
even for his own race, can rise to the
topmost pinnacle in pugilism, how
can pugilism escape humiliation be.
cause of that fact?
Perhaps 1t is a wrong time to cast
any aspirations at the prize fight,
when millions of enlightened men
are not only fighting, but are ex.
hausting every ingenuity to destroy
one another. But it may not be toe
optimistic to believe that the world
conscience may be. equal to the task
of classifying both war ard pugil-
ism where they belong. True. the
black race cannot qualify for the wal
game as 1t can for prize-fighting. Blu
the blacks are in the European wal
just the same. And the whites WHIT
are fighting alongside of them recog
nize them as their equals for the mo
II FaNsNL
ment at least. So the whites must be
~lieye either that they have lowered
themselves to the. level of the half.
savages enlisted with them. or else
that they have brought the native
soldiers up to their level. At al
events. the whites will resume inn
mediately after the a teaching
= these half-savages that wal is a ves!
wicked thing. It may make a differ
ence in human opinion as to who !
fighting. But it will, everlastingl!
remain true that fighting is just e
bad. no matter who the principal
may be. 1t belongs to the beast
l. M COLIN 60 fs -F -. AZ