The Indianapolis times., 1931-01-17

l. Y be that when the best mlridS
and serious thinkers get around to
building new world it will be de-
cided that among other things there
shall be no laws Of any kind. 1t
would be interesting to see just how
such a world would make out.
while I have been IugFed into court
couple Of times By sensitive prize fighters
ard in that way have made the aeouaint-
anee Of several distinguished bailif1s and
professional bondsmen. I do not profess
10 know great deal about either the me-
cbanics or virtues Of law.
"a
do know. however. that in sports the
ecience Of iurisprudence Is & not an un- n
sristsncs erHrSs Of Of laws and regulations seem
merely to serve as chslienge 70 greaJer
flights Of deviltry.
Reading the newspapers. you learn that
practically every prison in the country is
overcrowded and this in spite Of the fact
that there are more laws today than ever.
a condition which must be very depressing
10 the uorsiists Of the land.
y
A NY amateur student Of the
N human society. as 1t is some
times lightly called, can convince
you without any great effort that it
is not easy TO reform a man by legis-
lation. Catch guzzling
did not become q fashionable family
pastime until Volstead set the
eighteenth amendment to words and
music
In recent years IL has become the prac-
tice Of various prize fRht commissions to
make and unmake champions In executive
session. From time TO time. these COM
missions also devise forms Of ethical pro-
osdure and moral conduct which the mem
hers Of the brulsing profession are ordered
TO observe. And yet the prize fight game
today. 81 has been pointed out before, Is
more loosely regulated. more immoral. and
closer TO chaos than It has been in twenty
years. The trouble lies not so much with
the laws as with the enforcement of them.
Il n
JAMES FARLEY of the New York
y boxing commission recently
vacated the heavyweight champion
ship of Max Schmeling, the Ger
man, and in doing so charged him
with ingratitude.
who made SchmeIinE the Champion"
asks Mr.. Farley. Then he tells you the
commission performed this gracious act
But what right has the commission to
make anybody a champion?
II n
With a catch in his throat and large
Mr.. Farley points out that the commission
deliberately broke one of It's own rules in
order TO make certain a meeting between
schmeling and sharkey last summer.
Il It 4
This rule happened to be very important
in that It guaranteed the public degree
OF protection. The rule penaIized foul
to the extent that the guilty fighter would
be able TO collect only in ratio TO the num-
her of rounds fought.
Naturally It vas obnoxious to the fight
safety man, agreed to waive It. After ali
Who we're the customers?
NF course it is impossible to tell
~ what might have happened if
the rule had been enforced. Faced
With the prospect OF losing more
than tWo-thirds of his purse Shar-
key might have exercised more con-
troll over his punches.
There is also chance that the German
might not have cared to risk a similar
loss and that he would have got up, or
at least agreed TO come back and give the
new holders slow trot for their white
alley after brief rest. Five minutes aft
ter the low punch he was thoroughly him
self.
r n
But the. main point IS that Mr.. Farley
tne CHIEF justice Of the caulidoWST
tribunal. was guilty of fagrant misuse
"a authority and when he attempts to
Justify his disoarment of Schmeline On the
Ground that the fighter broke a promise
made to the commission he does not snc
eeed In making himself look wholly logi-
cal or rational.