New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-30
The VIRGLNIA SOCIAL PARADOX.

/
it is reinforced by public sentiment, Is fur
nished in n letter on current politics from
Lynchburg in that State, recently published in
| The Louisville Courier-JOWrRdt The writer is
evidently Bourbon, and very pronounced in
his hostility to Malone and the Anti-Bourbon
movement. After remarking that the absence
of Senator Malone from the Yorktown cele-
bration had attracted very unfavOrable com =
,nent, he says: " More than this, he (NIahone)
" has not found time to make response to the
occasions of personal honor such as the late
delicate illusions of General Early to him
"might have elected had General Malone been
"Icss busy" The drift of this mild sarcasm is
ONLY too apparent but that there may be no
installing his meaning the writer goes on to
say: "Our noble Senator enjoys the distinC
q ton of being the first Nirgnian on record who
sever permitted himself to be published and
posted rs miserable coward and base liar
" and it is evident tlat nothing but the pres
sure of very important business could induce
him to pass over such cpitncts." Later on he
saws: "Mahonc's dcclcuson of a duel with
"Gencra Early on moral grounds is universally
regarded as the thnncst kind of evasion, sug-
gestcd by an unsOlderly consideration of risks
/" and results. Equally as ridiculous is any
" prctcncc of social or personal disparity, for if
" there be any difference in this regard it is III
| " General Earys favor. 1t is a good thing that
" the fashion of duelling is discarded by men of
position but it would have been better if con-
sstcncy had made more powerful the force OF
prcccpt and example" And this writer IN
doubleday represents, in his sarcastic Obscrva
tions upon Mahone's neglect to violate law, the
public sentiment of Virginia.
And what is the plain meaning of it? Why,
simply this that Senator Malone, having been
called by braylng opponent "a miserable
coward and base liar" ought 10 violate the law
of his State, forfeit his Office and disfmnchise
himself forever by challenging the brawler 10
duel, which, being fought, would prove nothing
whatever; and having called him out, either 10
cndeayor 10 commit a further crime for which
death is the penalty or require his adversary to
commit the crime and pay the penalty. If the
challenge means business one party Is shot 10
death if the law means anything the other is
hanged for the crime. The performance must
be either n dismal farce, or ii the law is as
serted and Justice done, double tragedy. The
principals in this pretty business incur in the
one case public ridiculc, in the other death.
duirc that mt the will Of any reckless BLACKBOARD
who is disposed to put his worthless life at risk
for a little notOricty, United states senator,
man who has already proved his personal
courage in a hundred ways, must violate the
statute law, disregard the rules of common
morality, forfeit his high Office, and disIran-
elise himself II he does not answer the black
guards summons nav, if he does not himself
take the initiative and call ont his tmduccr, hc
exposes himself 20 the imputation of personal
cowardice. and the hippant sarcasms OF
feather Drained fools who talk about his being
the first Yirginian on record Who failed to re-
sent an insult, and with an empty pretchc' oi
regarding duclling generally with dIslavor, say
that his dcclcn,ion OF duel on moral grounds
is the thinucst kind of evasion, suggested by
anunsoldicrly consideration of ri,asgud results
What a significant comment Is this upon the
social condition of the community III winch such
things occur! Observe the notion OF personal
honor which holds that the calling a man liar
the simple assertion without proof or oHcr oil
it-carIics a stigma which can only be wiped
out IN mortal combat. Capital otcncc-iylng
But the same sensitive public sentiment has en-
acted that ducling is also a capital crime when
death cnsucs That is, it establishes n social
requirement that man must kill or be killed
by the blackboard who calls him liar and 1t
cuacts by statute that the man who meets the
social requirement must die one death or the
other M the hands of the blackguard or the
law. What sort of public sentiment Is this that
Soi'hi'i'y en'''p -" "'.' Wv, ~ 49,