The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-31
PLEA FOR THE HIP POCKET.

EDITOR OF THE ARGUs.-I think it is
one Of Dickens serio comic characters
who remark in moment of confidence
I''We all have our little weaknesses" but
whether the sage of Gadshif1, or some
other author first framed the expression,
1 its truth viii be readily admitted by, every
person who has had an extended, expert
ence in life, or an extensive acquaintance
with historical literature. The best men,
lmorally, the world has ever seen, have in
moments of weakness. yielded to the temp
| tations OF the flesh; the heroes who have
snfi1fngly led forlorn hopes into the jaws
| of death, have on other occasions flouted
Itheir coat tails in the face of danger, and
1.-The wisest solomons, and most profound
/ solons have at times been guilty of folly,
ridiculous almost to the sublime. And
hence it may not be a matter of any great
surprise that even in this favored land of
ours, where the intellectual average is sup
posed to mark a higher strata of mental
deposit than anywhere else, the legislative
architects, and legal mechanics Of the var
ious states, should, in a moment of forget
| fulness, have disgraced themselves by the
| passing of that statute, the popularity of
which unavoidably suggests senility in the
| trainers, known as the law against the car
rying of concealed weapons. n.
the public journals of the past few years
years on this question, and all in favor of
the law and its more frigid enforcement,
| / wish to be placed on record as one who
believes that law to be unconstitutional in
spirit, ridiculous In theory. and pernicious
in effect and more "honored in the breach
than in the observance" And let not the
reader offer the fippant suggestion that
the reason of my dislike for the law is that
limited at in the couplet
Ne rogue e,eF felt the halter draw, .z-a..
1 With good opinion Of the law.
For though have at times carried
weapon, / have never made a practice
lof so doing, for 49,. the reason
that cannot afford good pistol and have
too-much respect for my own safety to in
fdulge in the hazardous pastime of fooling
with O poor one.
Let us first see what is the letter of the
law I have before me thes"the Laws of
the State of Illinois, enacted by the 32d
General Assembly, of 1884," and in it |
read page IA =
whoever shall carry concealed weapon
ON or about his person OF the character IN
this act specified or razor as weapon, or
whoever in threatening or boisterous
manner shall display or flourish any deadly
weapon, shall be guilty of misdemeanor,
25 dollars nor more than 200 dollars.
(Section of an act to regulate the traffic
in deadly weapons) The weapons speci-
fed, are slung- shots and metallic knuckles
and "any pistol revolver, derringer, bowie
knife dirk or other deadly weapon of like
character" Sec. 5~a4lews the informer to
have half the amount of fine limited, and
sec. 8, exempts officers of the law while in
the discharge of their duties.
That is, Iiteratina ct Uerb0tdm, the degree
which takes from American citizens tie
heaven born right of self preservation.
Now, to begin with what must be the
object of such law? Not having been
acquainted with the state of public opinion
at the time the law was passed, and never
having read any Legislative reports of that
particular session, I do not know what
were the reasons adduced by its advocates
in support of the law, but suppose those
reasons must have been very cogent to have
been able to render imperative for the
time, the proverbia1 common sense of
American legislators certainly there must
have been stronger reasons offered than
any have seen in any press article urging
the more rigid enforcement of the law, for
they have universally been SO childish and
transparent, one is forced to the conclusion
the writers themselves knew no solid argu
ing yet did not consider it policy to say
anything against it, and hence to get out
of the difficulty, wrote off a tumble of |
words in which, if one seeks to find
serious argument, he viii
have his trouble for his |
palms. Reasons against the law may be |
easily formed, s'thick as leaves of the Val
lam brosa," each of them of such cogency, |
the greatest difficulty in stating them is |
the arranging of them in successive and |
accumulative order. But absolutely the |
only argument have yet seen advanced |
in favor of law against concealed weapons
is the fact that semi-occasienally men who
have carried pistols, have in moments of |
passion, shot and killed their opponents;
and the idiotic inference for it is nothing
more, thet when man puts apistol in
his pocket preparatively to taking morn
ng or evening walk he does so with the
nurderous intention of letting daylight
through somebody before ne comes back,
This is the only argument shall consider
he Justice of this inference. and the import
nee of the fact ia question, further on,
nut here it is sufficient to say that legisla
i've body who could and would pass law
Nth nothing more than this to be sa i'd in
IS favor, must one and all have been nat
raj born candidates for some asylum for
lcurables
What then repeat is the motive Of such
law,-tlle raisofs d'etrs, or rea son for
eng rs the French phrase 1t |? The rea-
IN Is easily formed by going little
eeper under the surface than do the
ajority of our newspaper readers. To5
e superficial examiner 1t seems a very
nocently intentionad law, one viii oh IL
does no good win not probably do M uch
lrm But II we consider it in all it bear
rs we will soon discover that it is a law
pee uliar shape, our legislators airs ofte
oxen as f the men who shape our laws,