Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1845-02-10

We wonderfully consistent people. Tom
has erected for himsefa particular standard OF gen
tity, and Dick in particular act has failed to
reach Toms standard. Tom says Dick is no gen
tleman and Dick forthwith challenges Tom to
test the matter by personal combat. II Dick should
succeed in ventilating Toms bowels by means Of
sword pistol of course Tom would be in the
wrong and Dicks claim to gentli,y would be es-
tablished if on the other hand Tom should prove
victorious, Dick of course would remain on the
wrong side of the pale of gentty, without any pos
sbility of helping himself. During this display,
the whole country would throw up its hands and
and exclnim 'what brutality" "what foly;" and
call loudly upon the law makers to enact laws to
put stop to the practice. Most sagacious and
consistent public; how prone ale We to strain at
gnat, and yet take a camel down our threats with
the ease that we do an oyster. Wherein is the
conduct of Tom and Dick, different from the con-
duct OF nations at large. Here is the representa-
tive ofour nation, engaged in some diplomatic BIT
siness with the representative ofsome other nation
Percha nee this latter representative, is an honest
unsophisticated man, who calls things by heir right,
instead of their diplomatic names, and in doing so,
N rtilly oT:nl our representative. Do we
take the trouble to enquire whether are right or
wrong. Certainly not: the whole nation has been
insulted; and the whole nation a, once commences
struttlng like an offended turkey cock, declaring
It's ability and disposition, to slay and destroy the
whole universal world and demanding satisfaction
of the offender in terms not to be mistaken Per
haps the offender accepts the challenge, and then
commences duel on a magnificent scale. Lives
nnumerable are sacrificed all the manifold horrors
of war are gone through, and when the exhausted
belligcrents mutually demand ipcace, what has
been gaiucl, that spirit of peace guided by com
mon sense would no, have reached In FIVE minutes,
Such has been the character of many which
have agtated the world; and such is the spirit
which now appears to pervade the mind of that por-
ton of the world, by its own egotism, denomina-
ted civilized. The idea preserving national hon
or, without the aid of cannon, nuskets, and the
implements Of bloody death, appears never have
entered the head OF any nation. If these things
are necessary to preserve the honor of the people as
a body are implements of death any less necessa
ry to preserve the honors of individuals who CON-
pose that nation and how consuma,e is the folly
when any and every occasion, we ma nifest as
nation an cagerness to take up arms, and commit
murder on those we conceive to have offended u.s.
to impose penalties upon and endeavor to prevent
individuals from pursuing like course of conduct
under like circumstances. Why, if warfare is ne
cessary, TO nation, instead of discouraging these
practices, it should be the effort of the nation to
stimulate and encourage them, for it stands to
!
for the nation, the higher the perfection of the feeling
in individuals, the better. The next time Con-
gross takes into consideration measures to encour-
a e the army and navy, suggest that they pass
law to encourage the practice of dueliing.