Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-02-23
BOXING MAY BE
LECAL|zED HERE
Measure Before Legislature
Would Sanction Bouts All
Controlled by State Athletic
Commission; Soldiers Want
Them.

At the request Of many re-
i turned soldiers who realize tho
immense benefit to BE- derived from T,
tsrests of clean sport and health,
boxing contests should be legal
ixzsd and placed on a high plano
in this state "a bill was introduced
!, in the senate last week to grant
permission to licensed promoters
to stage boxing bouts in Idaho,
the bouts being under the sanction
and absolute control of state
athletic commission.
Such law would prove most bene-
ficial to both athletes and the public,
and would grant authority for clean
sports to indulge in clean sport on a
high plane, free from the faint Of
''crookedness" or framing" The pub
lie would be guaranteed seeing their
fayorite sport INDUCED in by compe-
tent men, who. through clean living.
ambition and skill, had risen to the
top, and the boxers themselves would
know that their money would be guar
anteed and that they would have to
give their best efforts IL they wished
to enjoy the privileges a. state athletic
commission and legalized boxing con-
tests would afford. E
James w. Coffroth is one of the
boxing games squarest and best
known followers. A few remarks from
Mr.. Coffroth are reproduced from the
Salt Lake Tribune to show how he
feels on the subject, he being an au-
thority:
People who never saw a boxing
match-and they are in the great ma
jority-have become imbueds with the
idea that it is brutal. They believe
and take to heart all the arguments
that the professional reformer has shot
at boxing in order to keep on the Job.
Sure. boxing is brutal from one
point Of view. But it is also brutal
to see some cannon ball pitcher nail
batter on the head. It's brutal, too,
when a man is spiked on the bases.
And We won't go into trite express
sions of brutalities in football.
All sports have the brutal features,
more or less, and the same goes for
lots and lots Of lines of business and
professions. But setting all these &C.
casional' matters aside, the point is
that all sports make for the best in
our boys.
1 why shouldn't boxing come back?
Every big officer. both in the army
sand navy, is for 1t.
The boys coming back home from
the war and from cantonments on
this side of the water will tell their
fathers and mothers how much good
If did fharo A,,1
many states. @
"As to how laws should be framed
the question is a hard one to answer.
! would say, generally speaking. by a
state boxing commission, to be re-
moved as far from politics as possible.
For IA years promoted boxing in and
out of San Francisco. 1 had to get
into politics to get permits from the
local city council. My people winning.
was o. X. And then when INV
friends were out of office I had To
skirmish around adjoining counties for
permits. And all THE while il was
conceded that ! handled boxing salts
factorily in the city.
AS to the number of rounds 7
think, of course, that it should be alto
gether local proposition, though gov
erned with what the public demands
and entirely within reason and fair
ness.
Having promoted shows from four
rounds to 10, and even to a finish, I
think there should be some medium
found, at least. always leaned
strongly toward the 20 round bout I
am positively opposed to long distance
bouts"