New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-05-19

in the way of meanness TO thwart this
party.
BRAVERY AND GENTILITY.
very reprehensible custom prevails
among superficial thinkers of estimating a
mans character accordingly as he does OF
does not square with their prejudices. Thus
a man who succeeds for the moment in
pleasing them by pecuniary assistance, po
| litical influence, or social recognition, is a
perfect gentleman while the same man,
If unwilling or unable for the moment to
confer personal favor, is of course "no
gentleman The general qualities of the
man are not taken into account He may
be "a drunkard, spenthrift, a gambler; he
may be transgrcssor of all the moral laws,
human and divine; bat if he happens TO pur.
chase the favorable opinion ofone ofthe class
above referred to, he is proclaimed to the
world as one possessing the highest attributes
of manhood. On the other hand, nothing is
more common than the expression mo
gentleman would do So" "such was the
conduct of coward, T." etc. These remarks
apply with force to an article on the Mobile
riots, which appeared in a city paper yes.
terday morning.
The article referred TO is based upon a
very doubtful report of that disgraceful
affair which has been published in the
papers under the head of telegraphic. In
that report Judge Kelley is represented as
having begun his speech with boasts,
taunts, and threats. lie is censured as a
coward by our contemporary for com
ing down here and insulting con
quered people. conquered people,
forsooth! We have received a correct re-
port of the doings of these humble, grief,
stricken patriots. Instead of behaving them
selves as though they considered themselves
conquered, they crowded around the stand
where the great and good statesman was
addressing a really orderly audience, and
began to conduct themselves in disorderly
manner. Made completely reckless by bad
whisky, and being by nature rufIians and
rowdies, and by education and the teachings
of the political papers Of the South perfect
zealots, they were ripe subjects for the dis
play of that lawless disregard of law called
by our contemporary bravery, and for the oft
repeated and long continued practice
of violence against the person of
an unarmed man who proposed merely TO
use the weapons of reason against his politi.
cal opponents. TWAS certainly brave and
gentlemanly act on the part of every one of
these sons ofS0uthern chivalry-this crowd.
ing into quiet political meeting, yelling
and screeching like so many devils, and
threatening the life Of a Representive in the
Congress of the United States. We would
not give fig for the opinion of any man who
recognizes in such fellows his ideas of gen.
tility and bravery. While the tumult was
very high, and when it was apparent that
there was determination to break up the
meeting, Judge Kelley invoked the pro-
lection of the only power that seemed
to be able or willing to save him
from bodily harm-the Fifteenth
United States infantry. 1t was the duty of
Mayor Withers to see that order was pre-
served; and having once failed to do his
duty as the chief magistrate of Mobile,
Judge Kelley merely adopted the course of
sensible prudence in refusing to trust him
further. Having shown himself clearly I'M
fitted for his high Office, there was every
reason to believe that he would prove false
or incompetent again. For claiming the
protection of the brave defenders of the
Union, and the only safeguard law and
order and personal liberty have, either in
Mobile or any other city in the South, and
for refusing to put his life at the mercy
of drunken mob of conquered and
subjugated" rebels on the empty promises
of mayor who had already shown himself
unfit for any position of trust, Judge KEEL
ley is charged by our contemporary with
acting 10 manner unbecoming brave
man or gentleman. These have grown to
be cheap terms, so cheap indeed that it is a
species of disgrace already to be called
either brave or gentleman by these peryert-
ers of the English language. Here is
clearly made up case. Lawless violence
and the brute force of armed numbers are
arrayed against intellect embodied in an
enlightened, benevolent, unarmed states
man and patriot, q non-combatant, a lover
Of his race, and o constant laborer for the
elevation of all mankind. In speaking Of
the case, our contemporary takes
false telegraphic report for his text
and enlarges upon 1t by indnlging
in the usual clap trap about gentility and
bravery, and showing that he does not de-
rive his definition of those terms from Web.
ster or from any other standard lexicogra-
pher. Better not to teach the people at all
than to contrast ruflianism with theconduct
Of real gentleman and get the qualities so
palpably transposed. For If Judge Kelley's
conduct at Mobile be ungentlemanly or
cowardly. commend us to these qualities for
hi.h virtues; while II the participators In
the disturbance Of the meeting be deemed
worthy of the names Of men, save us from
the species.