The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-11-08
TALKING
IT OVER
By JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, NOV. 80 the IN
~ formed fight follower the testi-
mony In the court action involving
Gene Tunney, the contrite cauli-
flower, and Timothy Mara, the self
styled sportsman, has revealed
nothing new or startling.
That you must get politicians In order to
get anywhere In the fight game. especially
where big douKb Is At stake. has long been
accepted a. a routine procedure. not only
here but elsewhere. II is a natural by
product Of the same noble system vbeih
makes II necessary for a business man
engaged IN legitimate commerce 70 see
ward beeler or a distinguished veterinary
before be breaks ground for his plant
n
Whatever the cost these preliminary ar
rsnRements are deemed less expensive than
such delays and embarrassments as in
eyitabiv follow where municipal law
gogerns the right Of orderly procedure.
That the Az, as the process Is expressive
" known TO the BOYS on the street, has
come 10 BE- a vital and integral part Of any
business or racekt is commonly known.
II appears that this even applies the con-
duct Of the clty's affairs.
r seem to recall reading IN the news
Ds pers not so long ago that certain asplI-
ing magistrates snd igdges sdyanced gen rd
that as a happy coincidence In due time
the desired judicial honors we're formally
confirmed.
IF it is ethical for the bench to go
i out and buy power nobody
should be SC narrow as to dis
criminate against an earnestly am
bilious tosser of the cestus. Tunney
testifies that he offered Mara $25, 900
to use his influence in arranging a
fight with Dempsey for the cham
pionship in New York.
-
From the testimony the implication APP
Bears fairly plain that MAra's influence.
if any. was tied up In some way with his
TamhAny contacts. which seemingly
ranged from city hall to Albany. That
the fight ultimately took place In Phila-
delphia would seem to indicate that some
body fumbled the ball in the back field.
You get some idea what a big business
challenger volunteers an offer OF s2o.OOO
for infuence-or as Mara describes it.
assistance advice and Cooperation
Even so, that was little enough con-
siderinE that Tunney's testimony showed
he made two million IN two years. 1t Is
DossibIe, in view Of the facts. that Mara
might have won a verdict BY reclamation
IL he bad sued on the ground that his
NeTavish proposition.
=
THROUGHOUT the trial the
L state boxing commissioners
have been pictured as matchmakers
rather than iurists. The only
reason Tunney did not fight Demp-
sey here is that the boxing commits
sioners wanted the champion to
fight Harry Wills. the Negro.
thus BY their arbitrary attitude the
commissioners elevated Wills to the 20
xtlon Of a potential million dollar at
traction. and on no other theory ap-
narcntlY SnAu tudt tHc SOmHiSiSVNA7
deemed him to be the more logical OPP
pouent.
That the commissioners never we're ap-
pointed with the thought that they we're
10 make matches or dictate to promoters
merely adds to the hilarity OF the sit
uation.
have heard it explained In the past
that the commIsis0ners' devotion TO Wills
vas a pAtronizing gesture inspired by a
desire to swing the normally Republican
Harlem vote to Democratic Tammany and
in the absence Of any more convincing
explanation this sounds logical enough.
In later years. James fBig JIM Farley.
most active member of the commission,
IL az -. !.