New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-12
THE IMMUNITY OF REsPECTABILITY.

An idea seems to prevail in many Amer
lean localities that men who pass for re-
spectacle are not to be judged by the
ordinary rules that apply to less favored
offenders. One whose friends have secured
for him character for responsibility may,
therefore, commit ofenses against his
fellow beings or against the State with
more or less impunity, while he that is
not thus favored with popular certificate
| Of character is handed over to the tender
mercies of the officers Of the law or
| lynched on his way to Jail.
1t is not necessary here TO anaIyze the
various causes which operate to stamp
| one man as eminently respectable and
another as mere ordinary mortal. 1t is
| sufficient to note the fact that most COM
munities are thus divided off into classes,
without much regard to actual facts or to
| the reason of the case. At any rate, 1t is
frequently difficult to decide, from the re-
| ported exploits of individual members OF
the two classes, to which they respective
| ly belong. Bearing i'll mind, however,
| that respectable citizen, or the wild
| member of so-called respectable family,
is accorded infinitely greater privi-
leges than one who has not re-
ceived or inherited such a patent
of nobility, we are expected to be at all
times ready to excuse or applaud the
transgressions of the one, and turn out
en- masse to capture and punish the other.
For the convenience of the reader, the
country press, or the country reporters, for
the metropolitan papers usually accom-
pany their reports of ARRAYS with the
necessary ascriptionso go that there is
rarely any difficulty in determining at q
glance on which party the public indigs
nation is to fall, and Oh which TO bestow
the proper sympathy
We select case az random which Is In
point The exporter of the Associated
Press sends us the following dispatch
from Savannah:
OhShiuS duu oo AoSC 1LolI, tC~
spectacle citizens of Coffee county, were
brought here last night by the deputy mar
shall charged with assaulting the postmaster
and attempting to rob the pOstOtfice at
Douglass. An examination before the
United States commissioner proved the
affair to have been street fghte The two
persons were discharged.
We are perfectly willing 20 concede that
Messrs. Lott and Gaskins had no thought
of robbing the postoffi ce, and are rather
glad than otherwise to learn they were ac-
quilted of the charge But fact not at
all creditable to them remains unexplaIne
ed. They are two respectable citizens of
Coffee county, but are found engaged IN a
street fight with the postmaster of the |
town of Douglass. 1t is difficult for US to
reconcile their reputed character Of rec
spectability with the alleged fact Of their |
breaking the peace. For truly respect |
BILE man, or one who expects to rate as
such is not generally addicted to that sort
Of amusement and the morals of COM
munity wherein a man can engage in
angry brawls without loss Of character
must be of such low standard that a
patent of character furnished by it is of
little value. Such characters, SO obtained
IRE as cheap as the diplomas of cele-
0rated Scottish college, which, tradition
has it, were purchasable by anybody for
. half crown apiece.
n NyUy1 SSlf yVynt N6 nft ynM oh Z
4ttempts at whitewashings Nearly every
lay We read in our country exchanges
hat highly respectable young man. of
,ood family, while engaged in a game of
ards with notorious gambler, both be-
ng under the Influence Of liquor (Which
5 the polite way of saying they were
runk), became involved in a difficulty,
Which resulted in the respectable young
Gentlemen dispatchins his opponent with
knife or pistol. The coroner's jury
ully exonerated the young man. as the
eed was shown to have been committed
n self-detense. In such case there is
title room to doubt that if the gambler
ad killed the respectable young man of
God family the coroner would have
referred a charge Of homicide and had
lie murderer arrested. As man is known
y the company he keeps, it is proper to ,
ldge all parties to an ARRAY resulting
ON drunken bout as being on equal
rms. The respectable man who gets
runk, consorts with gamblers and low .
and engages in brawls, sinks
is responsibility, for the time being at
asst, and puts himself on a level with
lie lowest of mankind, and he should be :
dged by the standard which be has
Used for himself
Public opinion should visit its censure
pom any member Of society at the first
'pearance of irregularity, and not parry
lie question with excuses until a great :.
ime has been committed, and then de-
end upon the disappearance ofwitnesses,
e bribing of juries Or the assassination
judges and district attorneys to save :,
spectacle people from the halter. If !.
lch bad samples of humanity are held Z
> to the civilized world as the best a ;,
can produce in the way of re- =
the society in which they .
re will suffer more than the proteges :,
ught to be screened will be benefited.
community, like tree, is known by its !,
uits.
THE WOODEN HORSE. I
1t would really seem that the New York b