New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-16
ETHER EEroRaI OR REPEAL.


ETHER ENFORCE Or REPEAL.
Either the law against dueling is 6
pieee Of deliberate hypocrisy or the indie
pendent Democratic press Of New Or
leans does not represent the sentiments Of
the people. The law is plain in denounc.
ing the trial by battle" as an oAense,
and yet the attempt to involve the highest
officer of the State in crime has not me,
with any earnest rebuke in any othe,
quarter than in the columns of the Re-
PUBLICAN. The Times has diffused milk
and water homily on the subject, which
leaves an impression something like the
track of Martin Van Buren's snake, that
seemed to be pointing North when it was
really pointing South. The Pica,une is
silent except in its news department, and
herein it rather leans to the breach of the
peace than otherwise. The Bulletin moral
ICES on the subject striking at nothing but
the efforts Of modern christianity to incul-
cate morality by pointing the wicked to the
manifest displeasure of God. The Bee
treats the matter with a mild poultice,
taking good care to manifest its Partially
for the ''code by calling attention to our
intimation that the Grand Jury should in
vestigate the facts. The Christian Repub-
lican alias Citizens Guard, rather justices
the challenge. What the religious week
lies will say we have no means of know
ing as their day Of publication has not ar
rived. They are not of much account, how
ever, being generally filed with reprint Of
the most inoffensive and embarrassing ma
ture. Our Christian contemporaries are
either too pious to know that there is any
sin afoat, or they are too weak to attack
it except at very long range. This is the
status of the press, and on this text We
propose to make few remarks.
Theft is statutory ofense. The mere
taking by one man of what another man
left out of his immediate possession was
not theft until the law made it so, be-
cause originally all things were held in
common. By general convention of
society the rights Of property were ulti-
mately determined and penalty was de-
'cribed against the member who should
break this ordinance. So that larceny
;an not be called a, sin, except in that it |
S violation Of the statutory law. The
,dium attached to it results from the |
act that it is arrangement and an in
Fringement Of the rules Of society, and |
hese rules are contained in the law books.
+ we are correct in these propositions, and
'ur general reading Of jurisprudence sat-
SIZES US that We are, the deliberate viola
ion of any law ought to be attended
Nth the same disgrace that marks the
rime Of larceny. If one breach Of the
General rules is odious, why is not
,reater breach equally revolving to the
'opular mind? If the thief who runs off
nth loaf Of bread, or the scamp who
teals pocketbook, is published and in
erdicted far and near because he has
roken tie statutory law, why do we not
unish with hue and cry the man who
pills his brothers blood in o cool, de.
berate, practiced, long sought opportu-
ity? And if the press, which lives upon
,e community, and which merely repre-
snts public sentiment, is law-abiding in
S instincts, why does it wink at one
srious evil, because it is fashionable,
I'D cry down poor devil in his sins,
ecause he has worn his iniquities out Of
le mode?
What was the law against dueling made
r? Was it put on the books as a piece
hypocrisy or was it put there TO be en- {
reed? Is it repudiated, or is it held to? {
the community intends to uphold this
dinance, let it denounce the iniquity of
1eling. If it intends to disregard it, let {
e rule that makes the act of duelirg, or
9 lesser fact Of sending challenge, lie I
Iped out. We are merely .paraaing our
'pocrisy before the world when We pub I
h law against this great barbar;sm, S
ID then stand by and encourage parties
break it. And what is worse, we are
inging all law into contempt, for the
ing generation, always prompt to profit
evil examples, says to itself, the public
eaks the law, and therefore the law is a
bject to be broken. Every acceptance
society Of generalization reacts upon Z
elf in the license which it gives to those
70 always need restraint. Therefore, "
, premises considered, We insist that
8 provision which society has engrafted !"
its local government shall either be -
'ealed as piece Of hypocrisy, or OBJ -
we'd as high Christian rule. "
E NICHOLSON PAVEMENT JOB IN JET O
PERSON. n
The Picayune frequently refers to the IL
tract of the Nicolson Paving Company n
b the city for paving St. Charles street, D
these references are delivered in a O,
OF apologetical style for the delin- T
'ncy of the company. Perhaps little Sc
tory may be instructive in this connec- fir