Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-05-28
COMMUNICATED
Naefurnnl AaanuIfa

To the Editors Of the Daily Press: much
admire the ESQ far as l can see) manly inde-
pendence, and, generally, the justice with
which you attack every wrong-doing in this,
our go-a-head Queen City.
In your issue of Saturday you said that
highway robberies have become very prev
alent," and you heartily wish that one or
two of these midnight marauders could be
shot dead in the act of robbing some one"
that "those who remain" might ''circumscribe
their labor"
Wishing the same thing myself ask you
Mr.. Editor, with phat pistol we she'll 'shoot
the marauders?" ;" Shall it be the one for car
rying which, 'if found in our possession" we
should be fined twenty dollars, and what is
worse, be confined in some one of the ''infer-
nal regions" which our city has furnished for
the incarceration of the innocent with the
guilty?
Is it not great encouragement to ina
raudersn to know that honest citizens are
prevented, By lac, from carrying about them
weapons of selEdefense? What else than
"marauding and robbing" can we expect
when these unprincipled rascals are told that
their victims are hand cuffed by law, and
therefore unable to defend themselves against
depredations?
But took up my pen to declare my oppo-
stion to that law as unwise, unjust, and Wn-
constitutional. All men have a natural-an
inalienable - right to defend themselves
against the assaults of others--of course Of
providing for themselves and holding in or
der and readiness, the means of this defense
The State has no more right to prevent me
from carrying pistol, dirk or a Bowie
knife, than an ak, a pen-knife or tooth-pick
| or even my fist for with this / could kill any
| man, were ] to strike him where I should
| one of those "marauders," were he to attack
| me unprepared with other weapons. The
States that have passed laws to prevent car.
| rying pistols, &C., should include in that pro
hibition ardent spirits, poisonous drugs, surg
| ical instruments, axes, dray-pins, pitch-forks
| &c, which are more frequently used than pis
| tolls to destroy life. The instrument is not al
| evil. The use made of it is the thing to b(
condemned or approved. Finally, my objec
| is to inform "the marauders" that | carry
about me, when go out at nights (Which il
| very frequently arms, in plenty to give
| last dose to score of them, and it will not b.
safe for any of them to molest me, for an
determined that such gentlemen shall not b,
put to the trouble to wait for the uncertain
process of policemen and Police Courts to ad
minister to them, for their attentions to me
"a just recompense of reward" They will
also find me prepared to attend to them a
| home as well as abroad. If | am interrupted
by the executors of the law in my prepara
tions for self-defense, / will teach them tina
their law is unconstitutional, and their execu
tion of it an invasion of personal rights, Il
which no free people will long submit.
have as good right to carry a pistol as
policeman has TO carry mace. Neither ha
a right TO assail the other with his weapon
both have the right to carry our weapon
where we please, and to use them in defens
of our lives. Yours, for justice and human
ity, ALIQUIS.