New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-09
THE RISING GENERATION IN MISSISSIPPI.

Vicksburg has unfortunately gained a
reputation for lawlessness, assassination
and murder, that will cling to it for many
years. Life has been held too cheaply in
that ill-fated city, and the community
must pay the penalty by suffering bust
ness decline. 1t is a fact that commerce
can not thrive among riotous people.
A capitalist will not trust his money where
he dare not risk his life. A few months
since an armed mob overpowered the
wharf master at Vicksburg, and took
forcible possession of property belong
ing to the State. The guns so stolen
were used to carry on the Dem
ocratic campaign, it is true, and
the theft was not condemned by 'the
people," but it should have been de-
nounced, if only for the purpose Of in
stilling sense of integrity in the minds
Of the boys growing up in that place.
When men set the example of crimes, and
are applauded for their lawless acts, how
can children be trained to believe in the
wickedness of crime? Where men receive
brevets and promotion in social ranks for
breaking up fourth of July meetings and
killing Republicans and men not born in
the State where they live, children must
be expected to aspire to such distinction
in society by initiating and committing
similar crimes. A case in point has just
occurred in vicksburg. The Herald of
Thursday says:
We mentioned, yesterday morning. that
q strange boy, from Memphis, was assaulted
with brickbats by some city lads Tuesday
afternoon, near the corner of Washington
jured We met DR.. Booth, yesterday, who
is attending the wounded boy at the hos
pital, and he informed us that recovery is
almost impossible. The boys skull is
badly broken-a hole being made therein
that will admit three ordinary tingers, with
the brains protruding. BE is unconscious.
and unable to give his name or the causes
leading to the brutal assault. and for this
we must. await Developments in the future.
Yesterd az, Tom Phillips Tony Comes and
John Lingam, three boys. in their teens,
were arrested, charged with being the as
saulting partiee, and taken to the Work
house.
This poor victim Of Mississippi ill-will
had done no wrong. There was even no
danger that he would attempt to vote the
Republican ticket at the next election;
but it was enough for the rising genera
ton of Mississippi to know that he was
stranger from another State to cause him
to become the victim of violent assault.
The Memphis boy came to the town as a
carpet-bagger, and the Vicksburg boys
Immediately knocked his brains out, after
the manner of adult chivalry.
Boys who will commit murder must be
far advanced in crime; they must have
had an unusual schooling. The insane
Jesse Pomeroy filed Massachusetts, with
horror; he was murderous monomaniac,
and scarcely morally responsible for his
deeds, the philanthropists say. Vicks-
burg shows several boys, all uniting their
efforts to kill stranger. The thought
that the State will soon be in the hands
of these maturing fends is sickening
The boys now coming to the stature of men
in Mississippi will soon control society,
and they will act as they have seen and
see men act, taking civilization backward
instead of forward. Let the public
schools be broken up according to the
anti-Republican programme; let Dem
ocrats continue in their shotgun way of
killing Republicans, and setting MUIR
derous examples, and we shall see young
men everywhere in places so disgraced
coming into notice by outdoing their
sires, and committing such crimes as will
scken a civilized world.