The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-01-08
IT INCITES TO MURDER.
THE COMMON PRACTICE OF
CARRYING REvOLvERS.
Deprive Vicious Person Of His Pistol and
ne VIII Not Be Nearly So Quick at
Calling Another Man Liar
or Thief.

AT one time so many congressman
carried pistols and displayed them on
the slightest provocation that Preston
S. Brooks offered this resolution:
''That the sergeant-at-arms shall cause
to be erected suitable rack in the
rotunda, where members who are ad-
dlcted to carrying concealed weapons
shall be required to place them for the
inspection OF the curious so long as
the owners are engaged in legisla-
tion." Since then the carrying of fire.
arms has not abated. At a fashion
able wedding on Indiana avenue, says
the Chicago Herald. guest caught a
glimpse'of revolver in the pocket of
the groom. '.The bride does not look
dangerous" thought the guest. At
prayer meeting in this city, as the
preacher kneeled to pray, there pro-
truded from his hip pocket a murder
ous.looking English bulldog revolver.
"Afraid some one may take his re-
ligion from him. whispered parish
Toner.
A Clark street pawn broker of Chi
cago, speaks of a customer that once
a month has drunken debauch.
Money gone he begins 70 pawn articles,
always In the following order: Watch,
rings, a set of false teeth, pistol. The
revolver is the last to 20. AS pistol
may be bought for $3.50, no man need
be unarmed. It is estimated that in
cities every other man on the street at
night has revolver on his person. A
few angry words, flash. a report, and
morning papers describe the gaping
wound, the death agonies. A Madison
street dealer in firearms says that,
despite the law against selling to
minors. most buyers of revolvers are
youths under nineteen. These and the
vicious thus receive discretionary
power to kill. Human life is becom-
ing the cheapest thing on the globe.
In Montana there is cattleman's pro-
tective association. Little is thought
OF the murder of man. The buzz
yards feast is uninterrupted. But let
calf be killed and the whole compli-
Gated machinery of the powerful
organization is at once set in motion
to bring the offender to justice. In an
eastern city so many railway laborers
had been killed in coupling cars that
the wives OF such workmen petitioned
the company to use a new patent
coupling which insured nearly abso-
Lutte safety. 1.-The patents are expen-
sive, IRE Piled the company, ..but men
may be had for $50 month" In
railway accidents to kill a horse is
sometimes more expensive to the COM
pany than to kill a man.
Shall human life become as cheap
here as in India, where people would
rather be bitten by venomous snake
than kill it? The life of a snake
is more sacred than that of a man.
The lend Avesta tells US that the life
OF hedgehog was protected by penal
ties greater than those that guarded
human life. In the Fiji islands q few
years ago human life was of 30 little
value, and murder on the slightest
provocation was so common, that for
MISREPRESENTATION every man on the
street carried huge club. Shall the
ready revolver be allowed to make life
thus insecure in American citiesP Shall
we accept the opinion OF Napoleon,
who said OF the slaughter of thousands
of his bravo men: You can't make an
omelet without breaking a few eggs"
In this country the civil war lessened
the popular value of human life. With
horror we read of Colonel Ellsworth's
death. Soon, however, it caused little
emotion to read of thousands killed in
one battle. When angry, the man
| with revolver kills on the impulse of
the moment. Had the weapon been
inacce ssible in ten minutes passion
would have subsidized and there would
have been no murder. Needlessly to
put pistol in ones pocket is a step
toward the gallows. For many years
after the war Memphis was notorious
Tor Its murders and duels with firearms.
An ordinance was passed and rigidly
enforced Furnishing by sixty days in
jail the carrying of weapons. Mem
bers Of the best families suffered this
penalty. Soon life became as secure
in Memphis as in any other city.
Having revolver one is prepared
to fight. Those equipped for quarrel
are the most likely to quarrel. The
nation prepared for war is the quick
est to find casus belli in the least act
Of another power. A pistol in ones
pocket is a constant incentive to fight.
Farmers have found that dehorning Il
steer takes away his viciousness.
Deprived of weapons, the animal is
adverse to assaulting man or beast.
Similar is a thug without his revolver.
For one of the criminal class to carry
revolver should be penitentiary
offense. In a charge to the grand
jury as to the evil of carrying con-
cealed weapons, Judge Branham, of
Georgia. mentioned his clarlr who nav