University of California, Hastings College of the Law UC Hastings Scholarship Repository Propositions California Ballot Propositions and Initiatives 1924 BOXING AND WRESTLING CONTESTS Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.uchastings.edu/ca_ballot_props Recommended Citation BOXING AND WRESTLING CONTESTS California Proposition 7 (1924). http://repository.uchastings.edu/ca_ballot_props/188 This Proposition is brought to you for free and open access by the California Ballot Propositions and Initiatives at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Propositions by an authorized administrator of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. \ BOXING AND WRESTLINGCONTm$. -Initiative meuul'e. Aut,J'lorlzea boxing and wrestling .contests for, prizes or pursas, or wbere adl:nission YES tee is charged, limiting sucb boxing contests to twelve rounds; createa athletic commission empowered to license such contests and partic- I ' 7 ipants therein; prescribes conditions under Which licenses shall be )---1--­ issued and contests held; declares amateur boxing contests, conducted • under Section 412 of Penal Code which prohibits prize fights and limits amateur boxing contests to fQur rounds. shall be subject to pro- I NO visions of this measure and under sole jurisdiction of such commission when admission fee is charged. (For full text of Mea.ure see page -S, Part II.) " Argument in Favor of Boxing and Wreatling Many of t1\ose boys who found their final rest Contests Initiative. in the soil of France or Belgium attended matches or took part in them right up to the This proposed act, if it becomes a law. will "Zero Hour." For nearly two hundred years legalize boxing and wrestling contests in boxing has been promoted :1hd encouraged by California and put them under state super­ the English government. While men at the viSion. head of the army and navy of the United Boxing and wrestling are legalized and States have been very active in encouraging operating successfu1ly in thirty of the forty­ both boxing and wrestling among the enlisted eight states in the Union. " In all the different men for they realized the wonderful benefits states the ministerial opposition is dwindling that accrued from this sport which helped for the very definite reason that legalized, build up our Army and Navy during the <:arefully controlled boxing and wrestling are World War. It is now everywhere recognized not degrading or brutal. Misrepresentation; as a loealthful sport and a training course through ignorance of· existing conditions, has that conditions men second to none other in spread the idea that the sport is a brutal the world; • amusement, Boxir.g. properly conducted as This proposed law provides for a State a sport. is the most harmless activity in all Athletic Commission which will regulate and 'lur complicated system of living. The great­ control boxing and wrestling contests in Jst asset a young man starting out in life every sense of the word and stabilize boxj.ng can have is a thorough knowledge of boxing and place it on a higher plane than is possIble and wrestling. It gives him confidence and with the so-called "amateur" four-round self-reliance. fits him to tackle the big job bouts. It will not cost the State of California just ahead. nor the taxpayers a penny. for out of the Records and statistics show that many gross receipts of the boxing and wrestling more men are injured in other major sports. shows the state will take an -amount suf­ such as baseball. football. auto racing and fiCient not alone to pay the c1eri~al expenses polo, than have been in boxing and wrestling. of the Commission (the Commissioners re­ There is no athletic sport to Which Amer­ ceive no salary) but to provide for the main­ icans contribute more enthusiastically than tenance of a home for veterans or any war to. boxing contests. Thousands flock to the of the United' States. ringSide and price seems to make little or no Vote "yes" for this proposed law Which if difference. The audiences drawn by pro­ enacted will give the public good. clean box­ moters in California have been composed of ing and wrestling ~onte.sts fought on the the highest cl&.ss of patrons. Lawyers. doc­ square under state supervision. and besides tors. merchants. ban kerf', ministers. public exhibiting the l)ighest patriotism by voting officials and ladie's :nave been interested for this proposed law. you will by virtue of spectators. the large sums of money collected as a tax Opposition to boxing and wrestling is from every boxing and wrestling SMW beHeved to have been developed ftom two thereby help the State of California. Which sources-one is the honest but uninformed now inadeqna.tely supports a state home for reformer. and the other is the profess'ional disabled soldiers and sailors of all wars, agitator. To permit the sport under state known as the Veterans' Horne of California. supervision, will work hardship on none. located at Yountville, California. which Is in while to prohibit· it would deprive thousands need of extended improvements and is at of an amusement for Which they have shown present the living place of a number of vet! a grea': liking ever since the boxing and erans of the World War. whose "number wrestling game was taught to our boys who year by year will'be greatly augmented. make went to the training cl',mps during the World this veterans' home not only a horne in name War. Boxing and wrestling. it will be re­ ·but in fact. I called. were fli.vorite diversions of the boys HARRY F. MORRISON.' in France before and after the Armistice. Assemblyman Twenty-ninth District. [Nine] --:--;----~ · Ag.in.t the Initiativ. M••• un R.I.tive to disciplining the commission. The legislature can not pass any laws on the subject or even Boxing Corit•• t .. ame'nd thIs one. The 'assessing of penalties This is simply a bill to legalize prize fight­ is left so ingeniously to the commission alone ing. A four-round contest, such as is per­ that it would be difficult_to get either fighten mitted under the present law, may be aD. or promoters into the. courts for anything athletic exhibition. A twelve-round contest short of murder. Whatever regulations such as this blll permits, for a prize and gate (except against cheating the gamblers) this money, with a "decision" in case one of the commission refuses to enact or e'nforce no contestants is knocked out or disabled in ten one else can do anything about. And the rounds, is a prize fight, pure and simple. commission automatically will be controlled by the fight promoters since the commis­ Forbidding prize fights has leong been the sioners serve without pay (though with un­ policy of the State' of California. The limited expense allowance) and no one else brutality and other' evils which led to the would accept the job on those terms. adoption of this polioy are too familiar to need discussion. This is Jperely. the latest This absence of pay, however, does not of a series of efforts to reverse that policy. apply to the subordinates of the commis­ sioners. They are required to appoint a Attempts were made to induce the last three legislatures to legalize prize fighting, but in secretary, who is obviously to be the "whole works." He is to receive $3,600 annually, plus spite of an active (not to say shameless) lobby, all three legislatu!"es rejected the pro­ traveling "and other" expenses without limit. posal. Now, despairing of the people's repre­ They may also appoint as many other Clmployees as they like. at such salaries as sentatives, appeal is made to the people they choose, up to a limit of $40,000 a year. themselves. Of course, the result will be the The funds are to come from certain fees and same. A "commission" is provided. irremovable from a rake-off of five per cent of the gate receipts. Any excess, if there were any, by the Governor. which is given exclusive would go to old soldiers' homes. This, like jurisdiction over the fighting. There are ample provisions against cheating the gam­ the provision that the fights shall not be on blers on their bets or the state on its rake­ Sunday, is an ob.Jious sop to catch votes. If the people of California have changed oft, but few against anv of the 'other evils of Prize tighting. The powers of this irre­ their minds, and now wish to Invite the prize fighters, their touts and promoters, to make sponsible and irremovable commission are so exclusive that the fighters and their pro­ California their headquarters again, 'they can say ·so by approving this bill. moters will be effectively immune from inter­ ference by any other department of the Otherwise--Vote NO! government. The Govern6r has no means of CHESTER H. RO\VELL. COUNTY OFFJC,ERS. Senate Constitutional Amendment 15. Amends I Section 9 of Article XI of Constitution, which prohibits increase I YES' in salary of county officer, by inserting therein a proviso authorizing 8 Legislature by general laws to provide that such additional deputies or assistants as may be necessary and proper be allowed to the prinCipal in any county office during his term and also provide that the compensation of such deputy or assistant .be increased during NO the term of office of such principal. (For full text of Amendment see· page 9, Part II.) Argument in Favqr of Senate Constitution.1 creased. The amendment In no way affects Amendment No. 15. the salaries of the county' officials, nor if adopted will it occasion the employment of This ·proposed c~nst!tutional amendment any officers or deputies not necessary to relates to the employment of officers and perform the actual work incumbent upon deputies for the various counties of thls them.