The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-08-12
The Hon. Nathan l.. iillrr.
Governor OF New YORK.
ALBANY y Y,

Governor or New GoFA
Albany. y. Y.
Dear Governor Miller:
Some months ago We sport writer's
received q telegram asking US to come
In Albany and dircuss certain phases
Of sport with YOU Upon arrival We
were tod n substance that you had
neither asked 20 see Is nor had any de-
sire 70 DO so. but would see Us out OF
courtesy.
The discussion which followed was
futile the moment II became evident
THAI the decision already had been
reached TO form 4 non-s1lSTied oortnx
Commission to have Ch3rsN OF boxing
and wrestling.
AT that time ! stated that We who are
Interested In sports d!d not caro- what
form. any commission took. but that Te
vere vitality in'e."<;rd IN tho PERSONAL
Of apy COMM.
The oommi.S..: has now been in ac-
ton . abort time, Il has received pa
dent support from the sporting writer's
who hoped IL would function properly.
Rt LEASH as wei As the old commission
did. Ia reforming the compl ss!on II Is
svtdent that some politics crrpt Ia In
choosing the Salaried o assistants for the
commission experience seems TO have
been the leading motiv. Tho men. act
ing as salaried assistants 10 the non
salaried commissioners Saye AL The Ak
perience in the world.
All II rot wen
In conversation with mo prior TO your
inauguration you exprcsssd frPnk
doubt Of the ability ~ sny commtsEon
to handle the boxing situation. just IS
frankly l shared this doubt. and II has
been growing greater with the nav
commission.
There have been aoms rulings under
this new form. Of government which
Increases this doubt. and I Am Won
der.ng how il has Affected your views
The latest decision. setting thirty
eight years as an aHs limit FOR aSht-
erS. has stirred mp considerable discus
sion. II - charged that tho Iarpose
OF this setting an age limit vas TO bar
certain boxers from tho ring Ia New
York. This Is hatly denied, with the
intima,ior from one commissioner tina;
the seemingly arbitrary age limit be
RELAXED in these cases at the discetic n
OF the mm;ssioners. This Is inttuaatesl,
not stated.
The setting Of an arbitrary age linie
Is a new thinE. But 10 make age tia
basis Of judgment IL not right. even X
legal. II is extremely doubtful whether
any body cam legally deprive any man
OF the right TO earn a livelihood on the
grounds that he Is above certain aga
The basis OF Judging tho fitness OF
men 20 box is condition. not age. As
m instance. Jack Johnson At fortr-three
L. in better physical condition than he
was at thrty-SeYen. In Wow Of NE
fact your commission has set age Is
q basis il may b veil 10 call your atten-
ton TO few cases in recent history
around New York
1t 10 quite probable that you have
neither the time nor tAe inclination to
read carefully such reports.
Tho case OF Charlie P1kinSt0n and
Billy De Foe, at Dycknan Oval, II In
point. The nea boxed the Dait, al
though PilkinGton Vas In bad coalition.
The Judges and referee sa~e = dsoAaton
as provided for unaer the law. Ono OF
your honorable commissioners then OBJ
truded himself into tho atuatio" and
announced that PilkinGton was diS1uali-
fed. After an exarair alton disclosed
tho faat that PtRington hrd injured a
hand IN the night the order vas iseued
70 call the bout mo contssc." We aro
sim wondering how \ commissioner car
override . referee and judge Add no<s
puxHied 10 know how one boxer may Be
DISQUALIFIED and then tho nontesf called
no contest.
Until recently Il has been understood
that boxers showing moro than ten
pounds difference in weight should not
b permitted to meet. The new COM
kias-sa evidently has set thirty pourds.
Recently Martin Cross was matched
to box a, Ebbets Field Brooklyn. A
namoer Of his family VAS seated near
AaaN~ohl.
Martin Cross not having seen this o
hation for some time. crossed over %
sp~sk with him and remarked:
I'm hcStnE a fellow Who outweighs
me more than thirty pounds
Some one nudged him to warn him
tive comm :sstoner was near Tho COM
missioner then scrubbed notas on thS
ct" o~ MS newspaper and vent 70 In
v"r.iSat~ The match went on. although
-" wei~h'S showea difference ot
th:rty-e'Ght pounds. and Cross won,
,'r'"f'' because his opponent vAs grossly
on, Of condition.
s7na osaSr Had Fights
These are merely Instances showing
r"-ti,iona The Ralph Brady-Billy De
I've match a, MsdIs"r> Square Gradcn
and Eradv ~ No objection WINS
raised Jack Sharkey's announced
We 49, Wa i?S AgaIrs, Willie Spen-
GERS lls At Consy Island. zoe Nsndeil
was announced 10 w"igh IA and Rahe
Herman ls4 NJ Eeos;s Field. A casual
record would show literally dozens ~
such cases. A. you. presumably. are not
fntereAted In boxing = may be ve!t %
stat~ that In each case u means one
man ~ leas, grossly opt OF condition.
One 81 ;he worst instances OF the
s~ason was that Frank Moran. a veteran
probably hrvonh the new age limit. vIs
pernnitted 70 bog Bob Martin whom m"
former WAS NJ out 81 condition ne hard
" con'd hold rs arms W artrr me sec
ond ~rouad.
In view NJ tho :'.lkinEton decision. the