The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-04-01
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
s.TuRD1Y MORNING. APRiL /. issA


SATURDAY MORNiNG. APRIL I. issA ;.
MEssRs. BRECKENRIDGE AND CUTTING.
The rree-soil Journals, with their usual
candor and freedom from prejudice are en-
deavoring to fasten upon Mr.. Breckenriose
the responsibility Of the unfortunate diincu'y
between MIR. Cutting and himself 10 our
mind the conduct Of Mr.. breckenridge
when 90 grossly insulted by Mr. oa'.'hs' was
in the HIGHEST degree honorable and humane
When Mr.. Cutting applied to Mr.. brecken-
ridge a grossly insulting term that gentle
man. in the most handsome and generous
manner. gave him an opportunity to retract
!, and earnestly appealed to him to do So Ii
Was only upon his contemptuous and indlg
nsnt refusal to accept this just and many
proffer, that Mr.. Breckenridge adopted !he
only course LEFT to gentlemen who recognize
the code of honor and prenouncee INC
statement of Mr.. Cutting faisehoou.
II ia useless for the apologists OF MI. ou'
ting to pretend tina, Mr.. breckehriuse' ~ 'ns
course Of the previous debate, had onereo
Mr. Cuttinp a personal insult His language,
!, ia true, was strong, and he spoke lndig
n.ntly of a stab given to the bill by one VINO
WAS supposed to be its friend But, IN our
,,;n;on. he confined himself within Pariia-
: meutary limits If not, why did not Mr..
Cutting, who, the New York Times says, us
well known in New York as gentleman OF
honor and of courage, and as quite likely 10
hold any gentleman personally responsive
for any designed offence, why did not Mr.
Cutting promptly notice the insult and vlndl-
cate his bonorl The only answer, consistent
with the character given of him blythe Times
and. in our view, consistent with truth, is
that Mr.. breckenridge, though severe had
offered him no insult which the laws OF
honor" compelled him to notice.
The Free soil journals complain that South
ern men are in the habit of applying Ian
guage to Northern men which they do not
apply to each other Let them point out the
Instances when such language has been ap-
piled except in answer to insults which, com
ing from any man, North or South, would
have demanded similar response. North
ern debaters, accustomed at home to use per
sonalities with impunity, are more likely, by
the free use of an unbridled tongue, to pro-
woke personal denunciation, than are the re-
representatives. of other sections. No one &C.
cuses or suspects them of pusillanimity. In
the case of Messrs Breckenridge and Gut
ting, the fullest opportunity was given to the
latter gentleman, to prevent, In an honorable
and dignified manner, resort to extreme
measures.
The New York Mirrors parade OF Cut
ting's experiences with the pistol and every
other weapon, and its exulting boasts that
"he will make Mr.. Breckenridge rue this
quarrel" are ia wretched taste. They are
also premature We remember that wher
Cilley of Vermont and Graves of Kentucky
were about to fight, there were Jubilan
boasts of Cilleys wonderful skill with the
rife. whereas Graves was an Indifferent shot
The result was damper to their fond hopes
Let not him that putteth on the harness boas
like him that taketh it off
Since writing the above, we learn that the
difficulty between the two gentlemen has
been settled.
LAW OF DUELLING IN THE DIsTRIcT.-The
Washington Star, for the information of its
readers, gives the second section of the law
against duelling in the District. 1t makes
the sending challenge to any person in the
District, or the acceptance of a challenge by
any person in the District or the bearing of
such challenge, high crime and misdemea-
nor, punishable by Imprisonment in the Pc
nitentiary for term not exceeding five years.
Of course this law could be easily avoided
by any person really DESTROYS of fight, and
at best, it would be regarded as so much
waste paper, while the "higher law" of pub.
lie opinion favors duelling.
~ 1t is amusing to read the column of
Geographic dispatches from Washington
one for almost every hour in the day-in re-
gard to the expected fight between Brecken-
ridge and Cutting, which appeared in the
New York papers of Thursday last. More
Importance could not have been attached to
fight between two great armies The dis
patches at first stated positively that Brock
enridge was killed. No doubt the intelligence
sent a thrill of rapture through the Empire
City. 1.-THE wish was father to the thought, ;,
Another dispatch had it that Breckenridge
was shot in the neck. We suspect that the
reporters were " shot in the neck y when
they made that statement But no account
reported that Mr.. Cutting was injured What
disappointment the amicable settlement OF
this affair must prove to the belligerent free
sellers. ,4a
" e-faw.fum,
smell the blood of Southern man
Dead or alive, l will have some" - -
We advise these worthless to console them
selves by stepping into the nearest bar-room
and administering to themselves quiet ''shot
in the neck s-+eses
FIRST OF ArRIL-The Dispatch having
ON the LIST of April last, exhausted all the
facts connected with the history of this fes
tival of fools, forbears on this occasion 70 do
more than wish its readers safe and hapny
deliverance from the many snares and MI