New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-11-24
ENEMIES IN MOUTH AND POCKET,


mankind. Sunday school books tell us
men are naturally depraved. SIN Adam S
fall we sinned all" Adam has been I'M
justly and severely censured. He was
without the examples of good society, aud
he had woman and the devil to deal
with. Adam was much better man than
Plymouth pastors who have charged him
with being the author of all the evil in
the world. 1t is probable that every man
who has ever lived has been o sinner; they
| could have done better with their oppor-
tunities. Adam was as bad as he could
be without killing Eve. He was not far
enough advanced in civilization to do
| that. There were no whisky rings in his
| time, and no millionaire widows like Mrs.
Colt, of Connecticut manufacturing re-
volvers for making more widows; there
were in Eden no distilled liquors to craze
the brain, and no improved weapons con-
structed for the purpose of making MUIR
der easy. Adam destroyed the happiness
VI ~ OtACi &1aA ldultN. LIE was u
coward, and hid himself, and be was
liar; but he was very much of gentle
man, compared with many of the first
men of the present day.
Natural depravity does nor satisfy the
evil doers of our times. Sinners now
seek strong drink to make them murder
Gus, and they carry weapons with which
to do murder. In drink man becomes a
child; intoxicated he has not the judg-
ment Of baby; but he is terrible
child, for he has the strength of man.
A parent seeing a child with hammer
and looking-glass would naturally take
from it the hammer The administrators
of the law are the natural guardians of
the people. Socrates landed among US
would inquire: ''Why do not these guar
dams take pistols and whisky from the
people, who are certain to do evil?" He
would be told that such a remedy for
murder is not practicable The old fogy
would inquire: "How not?" Our men
would dodge the question, but some good
women would say, as they are saying in
Massachusetts: Drunken men vote, and
murderers hold office" Whisky has a
very loud voice at the polls, aud in Mis-
sissippi shotguns control elections. With
laws enough and good men enough and
suffering, praying women everywhere, it
would puzzle philosopher to attempt to
know why these things are suffered to be
so.
Drunkenness makes possible murderer
of every man; the pistol in his pocket is
the ready weapon with which to carry out
his mad ideas. Repentance and tears in
sober moments can not atone for crimes
done. The evil effects Of carrying con-
cealed weapons are told every day. they
are horribly written on the record books
of crime. The innocent victim of Dow
ling's frenzy is scarcely buried; McLaugh-
Inns wife struggled for awhile against
death from bullet aimed by her hus-
bands hand, and died yesterday. Such
crimes are so common here that they are
scarcely thought of after the morning
paper has been thrown aside. Coro-
ners get their fees; undertakers make
bill; judges try the cases, when
charges are made, and the world moves
on as usual, waiting for the next piss
toll shot. The law makers rest because
they say til re are laws enough to prevent
all men from carrying concealed weapons
Policemen have been for years arresting
drunken men for disturbing the peace 1t
the man arrested is ga gentleman, his
pistol is tax en- from him and returned to
him when lie is sober, ready for the next
ARRAY. The plea of carrying concealed
weapons for self-defense is not a good
one. A man with the best Derringer in
the world may be knocked down with
loaded stick garroted or stabbed in the
back. There is no honor in bar-room
duel. The man who habitually carries a
pistol in his pocket is coward. He ex-
poets to get along by bluffing some one
who has no such weapon, and he gener-
ally ends by killing some one unfairly.
Counsel for the defense may argue justif-
able homicide in the most elegant lam
guage known to the law; but there re.
mains the fact that one person has killed
another under circumstances that need
not have occurred, and homely people
think it is murder.
Now as people can not be reasoned out
of carrying pistols, the law should step in
and force them from that habit. 1t should
regard the citizen with revolver on his
hip as an outlaw, and treat him according
ly. If no weapons were carried there
would be but few murders. The preven-
ton of murder should be looked to. Men
apt to be in condition in which they can
not control themselves should be disarmed
by others. The hammer should be taken
away from the child. A few weeks since
we had occasion to commend the action of
the Judge Of the Superior Criminal Court.
He properly charged his jury, and made
movement toward Furnishing men who Of
Tended by unlawfully carrying concealed
weapons The reform breeze was too soon
spent, and we hear Of no further progress
in that direction. The move may have
been unpopular; laws which interfere with