The Washington times., 1936-02-01
.LOuisMust
KeepFaith
ofPubHc
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

amt sol"
That line, reminiscent Of q
prayer said to have been Of
sfered up by a kid baseball fan
when Old Shoeless Joe Jack
son was charged with being a
party to some diamond skull.
7duggery, has been rattling
through my mind since the re-
port became current this week
that Joe Louis intended to
sidestep the Jim Braddock fight
next September.
You see. I'm one Of the thou.
sands who have taken quite q
fancy to Joe Louis serious atti.
Stude toward his profession. and
! don't like to see him fall into
the habit Of ducking iSSueS-par.
ssticularly the last issue that seems
TO be in his path toward the high
est place in the pugilistic sun.
o. Wolves Are At Work
f. Already Joe's belittlers have
tried to make some slight capital
eout of his failure to go through
with a fight in Havana on the
goth Of last month with Isadore
o0aStanaga. the Spanish heavy
sweight.
. Not that such fight was eX.
pected to particularly interrupt
the steady progress that has been
Louis fortune since the day he
turned professional, but more
sthat such incidents do give the
s,boys who talk out Of the side Of
stheir mouth a little leverage
<-on which to begin their under
smining.
Whether it is so that condi.
tions in Cuba were such that it
was unwiSe to take the most
precious jewel In fistinana to
that unsettled tropical point, or
whether there seemed to be no
; real demand for the fight there
: in view Of the lack Of ticket
: porders, does not enteT into the
equation when the evil tongues
1, get to wagging.
i No Time to Turn Back
z For Louis to turn his back on
"a whack at the championship
would only give question to his
sincerity, and indeed he has al
ways seemed to be 8 very purpose
fIl young man.
: For the most part he has met
all deserving comerS. He has
ploweJ his way through o crazy
sduilt Of 81 in-and-outers, winning
AL except three Of his bouts by
: knockoutS. This is no time for
him to turn back.
y This has happened, mind you.
Z IN q space Of time approximating
118 months. He has set his own
pace, and it has been an active
one. Meanwhile, he has created q
.Heritable raft Of followers who do
Anot wish to see him falter. not
even over tiny obstacles like
Gastanaga, say nothing Of the
=, worlds heavyweight champion.
Such a splendid record as Louis
shouldn't be blemished. I mean
his fine record for avoiding no
worthy opponent, for fighting
+;cleanly and taking his honors so
modestly as is his custom.
Wolves viii Surely Howl
:. The wolves are sure to howl at
his heels if he ducks the Brad
dock fight. # he gives the wreck
ing crew an inch, they'll take
furlong. He Is in a vicious bust
ness rampant with people who
would gladly be the cause Of his
undoing. Don't forget how Harry
Wills was sidetracked when he was
nearing the top.
! What Joe Louis wants to do Is
keep on going, just as he has
been; filling his engagements,
turning in clean-cut jobs and re-
tanning the admiration Of all who
watch him work.
Why, a defeat here and there
along his career wouldn't furnish
: the wedge for tearing him down.
that might be provided were he
to get a reputation for bad faith.
= No athlete ever becomes so big
that he can afford to be vacillat-
ing. The public sours on that type
and in sports you only have the
public at your feet about once.
It is difficult to win them back
after you've once merited their
= lack Of confidence.
"Say it amt 80, Joe. Say It
- amt sol"