The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-09-04
CLARKE WELL,
lF'rom tie Petersburg Index.l
Honor VS.. Law.

| 'o"p3 40 tilSy INV Sldllu, arc III
sufficient to punish offenders, and to Orc
tect the rights of honest citizens, our legis
lators had best give their valuable time an
talents, without delay, to their amendment
IL any law Is good and sufficient, and We
neither judge nor jury will carry it out
the jury deliberately assume to pronounc
on law and fact, and in the eyes of tn
world render a verdict which every on
knows is false in fact, and which is a mer
concession to the popular feeling or a fash
lonable notion of honor, and the Judge cam
help it, the law must be regarded as i'm
practicable, and ought to be amended OF
altered so that it may conform to the ides
OF honor, and may be carried out.
A law that cannot be enforced, had inf.
nltely better be stricken from the
statute book. For so long as it continues
IN existence and is habitualy violated
and sometimes with the great applause Of
the crowd to the violator--so long does it
| lead to contempt and violation at all law.
to the great decentralization of the people
and the destruction of the peace and hap
piness of society. 1t becomes, in fact. a
source of infinite evil.
We have in this city had murders COM
mitted little short of dastardly assassipa-
tons. and the perpetrators have escaped
punishment for no other reason than be-
cause the juries have been afraid to seem
to approve the offence committed by the
murdered man, and have lacked the COURAGE
to do their duty.
1t would be a wholesome thing if our
legislators would endeavor to frame law
to legalize such killings as we have in mind.
and to prescribe the circumstances under
which they are to be justified.
The reason and sense, or. unreason and
nonsense and barbarity of the whole thing
would then be made plain. We should
then see IN letters and words how civilized
or uncivilized we are. We should See
the law either set up in its majesty. or we
should see it by undistinguishable shades
Jade away into utter negatiyeness. while
passion and violence would be allowed
its place. We would find ourselves in n
condition OF barbarism, and probably be.
on the whole, the wiser for our efforts at
improvement in the wrong direction.
Our knowledge of history fails to recall
to us any society or people in which assas-
sination in cold blood has ever been accent
ed as cure for wounded honor, or re-
storer of blemished reputation. Unques-
tionably, fair and well-regulated trial by
the gage Of battle would be infinitely more
manly, more fronorable-in every possible |
respect prelerable--to the late fashion
that has been more than once approved
We sineerel y trust that this is the last
phase OF that relic of semi-barbarous
age, that resort of doubling courage and
nope OF uneasy conscience-the code of
honor. Doubtless as the THING has hoo,
';,I "oihou, ,iieir u sense ana true honor
= : II. W ashamed Oh u, ana begn to learn
.ha 4 ~ o ;tit anu true honor are like
'he run ltseli--s ell-suiflclent that who
,Jeaer laile.n on II snail De broken, but on
7 4 .ionisoevei IL siiaii iaii IL VIII grind him
, ~ = ~ iat., now nuch better would it
y "a =, ~ ~ enese cases "here Dime novels
liiu iierce young gentlemen tell us blood
nnsr ~ sphi, NIUE souna sense could be
rntl'e,fa 70 auy man whose honor or
;.,Iad -, q 'aJ oeen uoooted, reestao-
inni ~ ~ "a .lo snaih oi a modern paper
0;Ii;,o NV hoiiioie reality OF Dlood-
pi Ie
nia' c - aiiaiu OF ehe suiliciency OF
G ii a,iI 'uii sla'ein en- Oh iacts, murder
,'t hov NIP MN. " no rests easier with
~ "a p Ean h;, nalus
,bad r ,or Z naIi,,y whose gear ana cher
-, :. t u.eo1i mas pen srleVously msled
u W. , no .ba, uoseu tnas tne law should
49, .ffe auu ~ VII 40 50; put zeal and
30 op,aot are nlst required 10 reclaim
~ =, tio iove anu hGior ana u these
n,,ra 81 S"V I'm a,ie ciear persistence
No spmnathv onJ ' b;nh ' I tiia' wiil ensure
eople, and loving hiding of the lost ope's o
lult, are the best and wisest-the true S
purse for family to follow that values it's
cal honor, its reputation and its happi-
css. :
On the other hand, what moro disastrous !
nd senseless folly can be committed than /
, add murder to the catalogue of family /.
lfrmities and publish everywhere the mis-. =
,rtunes other whose honor il is pretended :
, vindicate !;
The issue has been long made I'M, and :
lie time has fully come when It ,n mi he Z
led whether passion or law shall eoyern !
5. If passion and brutality and Th1pism !
zen let the statute-book be made to con, !
rm but if law. then LEFT The lau, he ,;,,d;-