St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-11-10

VIII triumph at last. Even the very
violence which is employed in opposi-
ton to the right, is often the very
means OF promoting it, by exhibiting
the hatefulness of wickedness, and bv
arousing the friends of morality to &C.
tion, and awakening a public senti-
ment and spirit that shall bear down
iniquity.
Such, as you know, was the case
when Sumner was stricken down in
the Senate chamber. What indigna.
tion was aroused throughout the land,
and how many who had been luke
warm and Indifferent then swore etern-
al hostility to slavery! Such was the
case when, in your own city. James
King was shot down in your
streets in open day, for his bold and
uncompromising opposition to crime
and the workers Of iniquiiy. He was
a martyr to the cause of morality and
good order and for every drop of
blood that flowed that day was raised
score of devoted friends to the cause
in which he so nobly fell. 1t was the
beginning of moral revolution in
this city, whose good results are yet
seen, and will continue to be felt, we
trust, for long time to come Moth.
ing else, perhaps, would have availed
to arouse this community, and nerve
the friends of virtue to take the step
they did, and thus to rid society here
of evil doers, and secure the enforce
nent Of the laws.
King died not in vain And so we
may hope this other terrible tragedy
which has been enacted among US the
past week, will result in nultimate good.
Sad, indeed, was the sight of one who
filled so high and dignfied an Office
as that of Senator of the United
States, so far forgetting his obliga.
tons to his God and country as to en-
gage in conflict with his fellow, and
not only expose his own life, but seek
that of another for no good cause. |
have nothing to say in vindication OF
his act. hold that no circumstances
can Justify duel, and that to engage
IN one Is to violate not only human
but divine law. Duelling is murder,
according to the plain testimony of
Gods word ; and every friend of law
and morality is bound so to regard
and treat it. Would to God that Bro
derrick had had the moral courage to
refuse to violate the laws of God and
his country, and, with the dignity OF
Washington, the father of his country
if he had injured another to confess
and make rcparation, or if injured him
self to forgive ; for, said that truly
good man, to err is human--to for.
give, divine"
How would his example have told
upon the public opinion of this State,
and especially on the young and as
piring men among us What had he
not III his power TO dn-brave as he
was acknowledged to bc-to discoun-
tenancc and degrade the practice of
duelIing! Had he taken this stand,
how would the good and moral and
respectable portion of society have
! rallied and sustained him And had
he fallen 10y the assassin'S blow, how
fragrant would have been his memory,
even like that Of King And what
an uprising had there been for the
punishment of his foes and the foes Of
morality. But alas he was not equal
to the demand, and he died, an exam
pie of the folly and weakness of a
system which has had so many vic
tins. Duelling is a practice, as Cow
per says