New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-23

State are under bonds not to shoot each other
unless for some new cause of offence. TO
stranger the whole business appears grotesdue
and ridiculous but the Yirginians seem TO take
n great deal of comfort in it. They dislike 10
have an argument hanging, as it were, by the
eyelids unfinished, and they cannot conceive
how dispute can be concluded except Oy pnysl-
cal force. The method of our own Democratic
statesman, Mr. II. d. Purroy, who once met an
opponent in convention with an argument
which broke the latter's jaw, is quite In their
line.
At the present moment the peace oiilcers I'D
Virginia are busily engaged in putting their
fellow citizens under bonds to keep the peace III
consequence of the controversy between Captain
John S. Wise and the Rev. John +. Massey
over the question as to which OF THESE t"o
statesmen was honestly elected Congressman
at-Large from that ancient commonwealth IL
may be sad in parenthess, that to the dlsinter-
ested spectator viewing this controversy from
the outside il does not seem as though either OIL
them should be at large" in the course OF
this controversy however, which is nowsonly Ill
its preliminary stage-the taking of dispositions
TO be submitted to the next Congress in Che
contest for the seat to which Mr.. Wise has been
declared elected-Mr Wise proposed to show
that his opponent was in the habit of visiting
gambling saloon. Mr.. Massey remarked that
whoever said that was unworthy OF 0eliei on
oath. This appearing to MIR. Wise to be the
proper point for punctuation, he crossed over
to his opponent and, remarkiDg Now, old man,
/ say IT, slapped his face twice. The bystanders
interfering, MIR. Wise desisted. Mr.. Massey
then rose and said, "If | could wipe your
hearts blood from my hands as easily as L can
this insult you should not live an hour"-Whch
will be found upon close analysis to be trl1e
ambiguous. Thereat Mr.. Wise. shaking his I'M
ger at his adversary, replied: You ID ola
rascal, | would box your jaw for language ike
that if you were hunured-and-iGty years old
and in the pulpit which you disgrace which
cannot be said to be ambiguous at all. Virginia
Justice 10 short, sharp and decisive. MIR. Nise
was Immediately confronted with it, and IN the
police court he was fined five dollars Upon
Mr.. Massey's counsel asking that the parties be
placed under bonds to keep the peace hereafter
a sharp coloquy is said to have arisen between
him and Mr.. Wise, the latter remarking that it
would be better perhaps, to require bonds Oh
hun as against tue counsel. The counsel, Cen
",
treated Mr. Wise courteousy and would
neither seek nor shun any difficulty with him,
adding in the true Virginia style that the court
room was not the place to discuss such matters,
and that he was willing TO accord satisfaction"
to Mr.. Wise at any time or place. The dispute
was already beginning to spread. Here was
another chance for the constable. A warrant
was Immediately sworn out, and both gentle
men were placed under arrest, but upon their
disclaming any present intention OF carrying
the matter further they were discharged, as
usual. upon giving bonds. The citizens of Rich
mond. OF course, took up the matter at once,
and public opinion was divided upon the merits
Of both quarrels. How many more faces will be
slapped, how many challenges provoked, how
many citizens put under bonds not 10 kill eacn
other Mt ten PAGES, remains to be seen. No
doubt the peace officers will be kept busy as the
controversy spreads slowly over the State
Upon the whole the Virginia method OF punct-
ua ing the close of an argument does not
seem to us To he worthy Of universal imitation
II makes toe much work for the constables and
police courts II should be noted incidentally
in relation to the present case that tho viola
tons of law and disturbances OF the peace
above described arose out of a contest between
the two principal actors over the question as to
which of the two has been selected by the peo-
ple of Virginia to assist in making laws for the
people of the United States. The opinion
seems to prevail down there that man must
show himself law-breaker to prove his fit
ness to be a law-maker