San Andreas independent., 1858-09-04
The Public l. Against it.

that Mr. Johnston and Mr. Ferguson,
duelists of Saturday last, are more respect
able on that account than they were be-
lore; or that they are heroes in the esti
nation of the public.
1t may do we'll enough for eject, to
make such strong and unqualified state.
ments as are found in the Alta, of the
22d. Very strong shades and lights
make striking pictures, but not always
true ones; so the truth often suffers by
overriding on the part of its friends.
In regard to this duel, the public are
well informed as to its cause. Woyds.-
The duel is over with One has sore
hand, the other broken thigh But the
words, what of them? They remain just
as they fell from the tongue, angry, sting
ing, fiery, unretracted, uncalled If they
were true eight pistol shots did not make
them false-if they were false, eight
times firing did not make them true. IF
they were insulting, the attempts to kill,
did not draw out the virus-if they were
unworthy of gentlemen, the same dis
grace testers and blisters in them vet
They are, in no way bettered by the
duel
Again, the whole world knows that
gentleman will never Intentionally wrong
the feelings or wound the rights of an
other-the whole world knows that a
gentleman will not be insulted by any
one who is ungentlemanly enough to per-
petrate an outrage so mean and low as an
avowed, intended insult.
Query: If Mr. Ferguson insulted Mr.
Johnston, was he a gentleman therein
Or, if Mr.. Johnston, Mr. Ferguson, was
he? And the party that took up the in
suit, and so stopped to the same level
with his enemy was he any more a gentle
man than the other? and then to shoot
each other because one was as bad, as
low, as ungentlemanly as the other, did
this make them any better? No. Then
the duel has disgraced them both.
Again-it is granted by all, that it de-
mands greater courage, even the courage
of an overruling conscience, to overlook
an insult, from whatever source than to
shoot it down-that he is Drawer man,
in fact, who declines or refuses a chal-
lenge, than he who fghts-that moral
courage, after all, is the true kind Of
courage.
The mere sense or passion to kill, is
one common to the beast-the dog, the
bear, the bull, the very savage himself !;
but moral courage is the courage charae-
teristic of MAN. This, however, is not
apparent in the duelist, and it is because
he lacks it altogether, that he goes like
an OK to the slaughter He has not the
nerve to stop short of it.
Does the proof of moral cowardice,
therefore, stamp the recent duelists with
heroism? Far enough from it.
Johnston was afraid of being called a
coward by pot-house companions, if he
did not spot Ferguson's insult with
bullet; was literally afraid of being call
ed, or calling himself coward if he in.
sisted on those principles of right, i'm
piled and confessed as well as upheld in
the State law, against dueling of which
he himself has the honor of being the
original framer. So also Mr.. Ferguson.
although he treated Mr.. Johnston as if
ne were no gentleman, and in his heart
as we'll as by words of mouth, rallied
against him-still he was so afraid of be-
ing called a coward, that he consented to
come down to the same level, and stand
as target for the whizzing shots of his en-
emy, the man he confessedly despised and
hated most of all. No heroism in this
at n L r
granted, none allowed.
The Alta charges this great wropo
against nature, and against good morals.
upon the public; in other words makes
the public responsible for dueling. How
ever true this may have been in times
past, we do not think it is now. Does
the press uphold it ? No. The Just and
unsparlng invectives of ihe CITY press
against the system, we may say is the
true verdict of the entire press of the
State. No public journal at any rate
Will be found to oppose it. And what
better exponent of public feeling do We
want than this almost unanimous voice of
the press
Does the pulpit fail to denounce it -
No; and the pulpit is sustained by the
public.
Do the laws of the land justify it? can
the laws be framed with intenser coudem.
nation Of the evil, than the laws of orr
own State? And pray what more valid
proof Of public feeling can be asked than
this! No, the public is no more charg-
able with the occurrence of the duel than
those of murder, highway robbery and
like crimes. 1t does not follow that the
public indorses evils that exist in it or in
spite of it. Let not the duelist. there
fore, think that the public upholds him.
Since Hamilton fell, the duelist has
borne the hot curse of blood, calling ON
God and man to avenge it. The day is
past when this monstrons and inhuman
code can escort man to popular fame
to public praise.-Pacifc, August 26h.
gsA- A young lady asked gentleman the
meaning of the word surrogate.
1t is" replied he, "a gate through which
parties pass on their way to get married"
"Then," ] suppose, replied she, that it is
Drnrwe g