The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-01
Before the Law
 Stepped In Mitt
 GameF eFlOuriShed
By EDDIE GRANEY

(Copyright by Pacific Sports service)
 Beginning about 1889 up to 1895, which was the high tide of puglistio favor, and then on through to twenty years ago, when the law began stepping in and asserting itself by limiting the duration of bouts and hedging the game about with all sorts of exactions or eliminating 1t altogether, every town of any moment had it's particular pugilis- tic pride and favorite. After while his name would become more than local ly known. The ring favorite of some other town woul dhear of the fellow in the rival town. Local pride would come to the fore and a match would be made This served to give the boys wider pub licity and gradually a champion would be developed who became known to the world.
 Take a peep at the middleight names which happen to come to mind, all of them, mind you, within a generation. There were Joe Walcott, Mike Tracy of Troy. Jack Dempsey of New York, George LaBlanche, Jimmy Carroll of Brooklyn, Reddy Gallagher of Denver, Jack Fogarty of Philadelphia, Pat Mc-
 
 of Portland, Ore, and others that l can't recall at the moment You see, they come from all over the country.
 Of the welterweghts, there were Tom my Ryan of Syracuse, Danny Needham of St. Paul and Patsy Kerrigan of Bos- ton. all of the rugged boys who gloried in a battle.
 Among the lightweights were Jack McAuliffe of New York, Johnny Heger If Fra of ton, Andy Bowen of New Orleans, Harry Gilmore of Chicago and then a little later Joe Cans of Baltimore, Frank Erne of Buffalo, Elbows" McFadden of Brooklyn, George Lavigne of Saginaw, Spider Kelly and Dal Hawkins of San Francisco and bundle of others who do not come to mind as ! write.
 Is it any wonder that the comparison of the one or two good heavies we have today will look silly when we recall such men of the past as Peter Jackson, Jim Corbett, John L. Sullivan, Tom Sharkey, Joe Choynski, Jim Jeffries, Joe Me Auliffe Denver Ed Smith, Pat Killen, Joe Glover of Chicago, Patsy Cardiff of St. Paul, Mike Conley of Duluth, George Godfrey of Boston, Charlie Mitchell of England, Bob Fitzsimmons, Charlie Mitchell and Peter Maher.
 Those were the days when the fight game thrived In every nook and hamlet of the world The greatest centers were San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, St. Louis. Bos- ton, Butte, Mont. ,and Roby, Ind, if my memory serves me right, considered from the point of view of the number of fights they pulled off, taken In the treasure of their importance.
 Boxing matches of minor importance were being staged every day by the hundreds all over the country where boys could break into the game. When the legislatures of the various states stepped in, they naturally put an end 10 this. Interest waned and the game was deprived of hundreds of recruits, many of whom might have become a part or ring history.
 There are just as many good boys living today as those l have mentioned am sure of it. The conditions in all other lines of sport which are permitted 10 flourish proves this without ques- tior ar doubt, but as far as the rfas u.aterfaa ls esrcerned, we are not per sssittsa hy thl a r-ing out the best tsers is 6f t. The i70 if ss 6 -0ln of the fall f3u s.ee as i}ss att,tf. of our boxers, just
 . i,3-s- of our jockeys and i~ would put an end to, future Ruths, Lajoies, Wagners and zn,.. ans if 1t legis- lated basebal and curtailed its sphere of action as it has the ring game.
 
 Tn China when a pupil Is reciting his lesson he turns his back to his