CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4023, 28 January 1892, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

s a Prise [to the editor.] ' .'.■ Sir, —I have sent you this letter for publico tion, hoping that you will not refuse to insert it in your columns. The purport of the same will bo found to be in reply to the very offlcioaa \ letter that appeared in Mondaviy issue from John Dukes. ; Being iny<* self a member of the boxing fraternity' at present located in this town, I claim the same show of fair play through the columns of the press as the 'said John Dukes or any other 'Duke, It is a great pity there is not au Act framed in Parliament to compel suoh oroakers as John Dukes and, the" Disgusted Eoside'it."■ to refrain from meddling with oilier people's business, instead of looking after their own. From the tone of John Dukes' letter it would cause one to think that he is a paid servant of both the Press and Police Department, by the manner in which he introduces Sergeant Hannan's name in his letter, Now, as far as MrHannan is concerned, that officer is quite competent and qualified to look after his own business, without being pestered by John Dukes to do so. Touching the Dukes, it reminds me of a squad of Church, members who waited,on Sir Henry Parkes, the Prime Minister of New South Wales, about eight months ago, urging on him the nooA|| !, of suppressing and putting a stof-w glove fighting. I am very pleased, however.to inform the Dukes that they wentawayveryorest-fallen and defeated in their scheme.: Sir Henry. positively told them that while he held office as Minister for a British Colony he. ..should never make or encourage any attempt for the doing away with glove-fighting,. Moreover, bad he been inolined to do that, both himself and the Government were utterly powerless to do so. But, as an Englishman and a Minister of a rising nation he hoped that he should never see it put down. In many districts in old England the same class of people have tried it on with the same results, 'ln Amerioa they also ' made urgent appeals to Congress, aud \ again came out defeated, I will now , come a little nearer home, flnly two i months, ago in Wellington a number i of these church«going croakers I worried the life pretty nearly out of 1 Inspector Thompson with their ap- ' peals to him, in fad forced upon him the necessity ot closinglnjrthe I Jubilee' Hall and putting down boxI ing with an iron hand. But lo.what ' a shock it must have been to their | nervous system when he answered them "No I" He Baw no reason why I he should do so, and instead of com- - plying with their most officious re--9 quest to stop it he held his opinion on 3 the matter as a sensible man would c do, and acted quite the reverse to i their wishes aud request. So ended another defeat for the ohuiehmen. I \ could, if it was any benefit to myself, i quote many other instances of defeat 1 of the churchmen if it suited me to r do so. But I think not one, but all " will agree with me, that I have given J ample and substantial proofs to show how utterly helpless and powerless both churchmen and the police are in putting a stop to boxing. The Dukes may as well whistle a jig to the milestone as to raise his voice for the suppression of boxing. I will here endeavour toshowlhim and the public of this town the esteem in whioh itjiheld

in old England, lisia, it has been banded dowfrto us by pur forefathers. It was held ,in the highest esteem and respect by the two great nations of antiquity, namely, the Greeks and Romans, while the Jews themselves did. no( refrain from encouraging, as it was tenpd, by tiiem, the '•' art of smiting. 1 ' TJie descendants of the tribes of those people who came and settled ja Old England have contributed many of the most brilliant boxers to tho roll of fame. The Rqmanp, when they mvaded Old England, now on two thousand years ago, found that tho love of fighting and wreatliug existed, and was their favourite pastime. Old England has been the cradlo of pugilism which has been brought down to our doors of tho present day. It is now 200 years since the establishment of the prize ting proper, with recognised rules and regulations, framed by a committee of nobles and gentlemen of tho Kingdom for the promotion of pugilism, Tk then great battles of tho time in don district were contested in great arena known as the great Ampliithefttrain Tottenham Court Road, London, under the management of the celebrated Figg, the then champion of old England, in the presence of Royalty and tho Nqbjlity'of th? rjatjqn as well as J jiatfjr on, in the days of Jack Slack and Jach Broughton when tbey fought for the championship, William Duke of Cumberland was.not only the Eoyal backer of Slack, but he acted as Slack's second in his battle with Broughton. It; was fought in the kt century in the. presence •of the Royal family, and the Nobility, We come down stilllator on, when the great International fight took place on the 17th April, lsflo, at Parnborough, Burrey in,. : l^ladd.''At ! thd ring side on that memorable day the best blood of Great Britain, Ireland, and Amorica,'was represented. The members of both the Houses of Lords and Commons and the olfo, was also represented. Every deiftXatjon in jj|nglan3,'" from the' Arc'hblsTion fjpwn to the ifunibje lqaal pr^aqfiei*, > al| well as all the greatest members of the bar in England and Ireland, down to thp humble sljqob]aok, were present to witnesß the light between the Nation's Pot, Tom Sayors, and Ji» 0. Heenan, the American, And still they continue to support and uphold Pugilism and Boxing in England, Ireland, Australia, and America, Then why should thoy stamp it out in Now Zealand, I hope that every true-hearted Englishman and Irish" man and their offspring thraugho,ut the world will rally round th'e"|agl| Pugilism, and be ever able to upholji their dignity and defend themselves by the weapons that Naturo has pro? vided {hem; wjth. ■ Ajd if John Ifukes, instead of putting his say into matters that are quite the opposite to his own profession j to pay his attention to hjs own condbgatio;) and try fqr tb§ tirne tq corje'fo mind, his own business. So therefore, Mi l Editor, with all due.re3peot So you and the sociable people of Masterton, r «.™.:„ ?" t v, " fnra "'nsine, hear* I remain, ing that John .Dukes and other members of the clergy intend to be presept'onThursdayjnight. I Bhould recommend the contestants to mafe a special charge for the clergy of £2. admission, otherwise they should not be admitted From the pen of . ';-:; (■;!";'>' Teagub, . ■) . i. Prizefghter,".;