The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-07-07

1T OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, July I'll suppose
IN when James A. Farley writes
his autobiography it will be entitled
From Caulifowers to the Capital"
Or, possibly From Uppercut to
Upper Crust"
Farley is quitting the boxing COM
mission this week to manage the
presidential campaign of Franklin
Delano Roosevelt, the Democratic
white hope. who they say is fast on
his feet but not much Of puncher
Moreover, it remains to be seen
whether he can take it downstairs.
Farley's man has a good name but he
have b etn q S So 1ea saRsns sne
young CorbettS and young Dempseys but
few Of them ever amounted to ANYTHING.
right kind Of manager.
that's one thing Franklin Delano's GOV.
Farley is tops when II comes to manag-
ing. Some Of the boys say he could even
take Camera and make him the world
champion, though personally think that
is going a little too far. After all. there
Even so, Farley got Ripper Roosevelt
the heavyweight match with Battling
Hoover out in Chicago last week when
who. rated of their records. figured ahead
Of him. And everybody knows that you've
got 70 get 2 match before you can win
Championship
So that was an important victory for
the JACK Kearns OF politics right of He
sold his man TO the promoters despite the
fact that there was no clamorous demand
Tor the match and Notwithstanding that
there was little in mis- mans record in
ne way Of knockouts that could be used
Tor balyhoo purposes.
+ DIDN'T hear what the terms
Il were, but 1 suppose the Rip
per Is going in on flat guarantee,
which seems to be the custom with
the heavyWeights in the White
House division, though 1 am told
that when Harding was the cham
pion, he was handled by bunch
OF chiselers and the outside, off
the-record split-up was terrific.
imagine that 1t is with pang Of re-
greet that Farley. is wrenching himself away
from the boxing commission. Truthfully
Today" Until Farley moved into New
York to take command OF the beak basters
ne was an obscure upstate party loyalist
NOW he is national political figure.
AS the car OF boxing Farley had many
hne qualities-and some that we're not so
me, In one respect he was a typical poll
ltician. He used the office for his party
for his friends and for himself But with
IT all he was fair to the game, fearless in
MS edicts and firm in his prosecution Of
Farley combined the worst features Of
politician with the best features of a sport
pary nis 0wn an aad
sonal ambitions he would have outland-
Used Lands as an administer of the
requisites.
TINE office of boxing commission
a er carries no salary, and since
it Is no fertile field for gratuitieS,
its allurements must lie in some
other direction. Some people take
the job because they like to see
their names in the newspapers.
Others because they profess to have
deep spiritual interest in the sport.
If you were to ask Farley why he took
1t believe he would answer in his usu
excellent show window for his political
ambitions. 1t kept him in the public
eye, enabled, him to make innumerable
contacts and placed him in position
where he could grant important favors
to important people
You never can tell when these favors
Farley for instance, was always an en-
thusiastic supporter of the Hearst Milk
Fund fights. Two wears ago he reinstated
Schmeling so the German could meet
Sharkey for the fund. Also. he proclaimed
II fight for the heavyweight champion
ship of the world, although neither Shar-
key nor Schmeing held championship.
AS a consequence, the admission prices
were increased to S26.
There was a foul rule IN effect at that
time, a rule of the commissions own
making, which penalized the fighter per-
betrating the foul. If the foul occurred
he collected only for the first round. or
one-afteenth of his total purse. But
neither Sharkey nor Schemling would
hight under these conditions
The rule primarily was devised TO pro-
tect the public from 1ascos, the assump-
ton being-and it has since been demon
strated to be true---that few fouls are sc-
cidental. Ordinarily, Farley would have
kicked both the fighters and their man
ayers out of his Office, but this was no
ordinary situation. So-well, Farley re-
scinded his own rule, bowed to the fight
ers wishes. told the public nothing, and
sure enough, Sharkey fouled out
. 1t probably was just a coincidence that
the Hearst-controlled delegations from
California and Texas put Farleys man
over on the fourth ballot. But 1t just
goes to ShOW--ll