The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1844-09-13

without noticing it. Yet greater admira
ton does il express at his reply 10 his
friends, when they discovered his burt and
we're astonished at his shooting down his
adversary afterwards. "Sir," said he, 81
should have killed him il he had shot me
through the brsin!" The iellness Of re-
venge was never better expressed, certain.
lly; and these are the subjects OF the HUI
mainly. party's encomiums
Such are the facts, in the face OF which
they who lavisbed upon the conduct and
character of General jackson terms of ad
miraiion which 20 style behiIing Deity
only is not in the smallest degree 10 exag
gerate, now affec. to be horrified at Mr..
Clay's having fought in q bloodless eS-
change Of fires, the requis!Ion OF honor,
not revenge, according TO the prevailing
sense of the community 30 which he belong
ed-a community where, 10 him who is en-
gagged in any public or professional pursuit,
or indeed any bu, an ecclesiastical, com
pliance with this usage is an imperious law
TO that melancholy necessity, without ran
cor and (by The blessing of Heaven J with
the stain o! no mans blood upon his hands,
he has submitted. He has Tough, merely
in self.delence, TO let it be seen that he was
ready, in proof of his innocence, where SO
fatally assailed, 10 stake his life, or even
(what is far more terrible iu this sort OF ap
peal 10 Cody to ruu the hazard (neyltable
in the thing of taking the life of him who
had sought to iufict infamy upon hun.
Not Christian is it, certainly, to hight ;
but a terrible test Of ones Christianity
mus, it be confessed to be to submit to the
choice-forced on you by designing and
triumphant obIoquy, wrong, and hate, be.
tween fighting and sinking into the scorn
not merely of foes, but of all around you,
As little, however, is it Christian to resent
any injury-io do any thing but turn the
other cheek 10 him who smites you. Eve
nv man is bound TO discoun,enance duel
ling but they who will make no allowance
for the cruel circumstances that sometimes
make il inevitable unless one were 60 an
gel, should be consistent and love The dead
lest foe like the dearest friend, the most Vi
ter villain like the most beuehcent OF mtn
We are, however, amids, this clamor o
JdcKsOut6U UlOIdtsi ruillCu uON'O nh ~ ~
ethics Of the 4" Pennsylvania )" which !
!. preaching TO The " City Of Bso,hetly Love
0 about the comparative dueilos OF Gen. Jack
son and Henry Clay. lie admits that tn
v former has been.Le rcaIe murderous
-. ~. ~ nobody; bu
latter having, indeed - Is to the mic
then he grows exquisite, resi- {" intention i
. laws Of casuistry, says tina. ina, therefor
the essence of crime" and Nm Randoloh
Harry Clay, who sho, at JON ,b;s-doe
is murderer Now, gran, an one7 O
i, prove that Gen. jackson was n mo fn,
does the Peunsy lvanian mean, by ~ IN
Their refinement, TO prove that. wlIN
u same intentions he who kills is innocel
{ and be who does no; is guilty
Now, we beg 10 suggest 10 the Pennsy'
vanian one little idea, which may blow U
all lis fine drawn conclusions no nelly, tina
a man is not always killed when hit; an
that, really. men who fight duels from
principle of honor, 10, tigersh thirst of car
mage, desire at moot TO disable, not slay
an adversary.
Its srea, reliance, howeser, is what 10
gicians do when they cry " distinguo -
Ii sets up distinction: these things,
says, are 10 be severely judged only whel
committed in mature age: in the FIRE 0
youth, they may be pardoned: Genera
!, jackson Tough, duels when BIO was young
but Mr.. Clay when old.
Here, then, i, sets up law Of God, 4
Christian law, which permits the young ts
murder but prohibits the old Delicious
Christianity this, end most worthy of .hs
prophets Of Jacobinism Still, for SO bles
sed system il has one strange omission
i. docs not distinctly tell us up TO what age
man may shoot down helpless enemy
or, backed by armed braves, attempt an as
sassina,ion. /, does not settle distinctly
the maturity for murder. No, not in direc,
word and figures; bu, las in the church,
tradition, fact, can supply what text or can
on has not furnished. We know the date:
Of Gen. Jackson's main fight; so we car
fix what the Pennsylvania has not clearly
defined.
Gen. Jackson was born (see " Life" p
IL on the 18th Of March, 1867. The
shooting of Dickinson was therefore in hi
30lh year; and the attack on Col, Benton
was in his 46th. Come this is pretty well
and then The Pennsylvania is decidedly
liberal in the scope it gives mans shoot
ing and stabbing propensi,ies-th NOR,
especially ns, if every mans hands are t,
be loosed during thus pleasant little juveni
period to "heroic pastimes of this sort
|, we oplne that there would remain few mel
old enough to incur The severe laws O
Jacksonlan ethics, or, at any event, few
not too manned or bedridden TO COMM
much havoc. And were any such Nesio
of the trigger and dirk left, by chance, hin
the pardonable youths Of forty six might IN
nocen,ly dispose of-whenever they cou'C
catch him with an odds Of FIVE to lwoi
Now, The bloodless duel Of Messrs. Clay
) aod Randolph occurred Oh the s'h April
1926. The former was born on the l2ll
Anru l777, He had thus no, completed