New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-25
A MEMPHIS CONSENSCS.'

| SOCIAL cllClcS Ill Mcinpnl>, lflIIl'' al'
going an agitation. The editor of news
paper in that lively town has been INDUCING
| in criticism of Judge OF the Criminal Court
10 which the son of the Judge has taken vigof-
Gus exception. In reply 10 n letter OF inquiry
from the latter. asking the editor II he meant
| 10 reflect on hi, fathers integrity The editor
curly referred the writer II the dictionary.
| Tho Young person thcrcupon wrote another
letter. which was returned unopened After
these prciminarics the details Of which were
permitted {, oolc out in such way a to
| ltindIe the excitement by easy Stages, the
young person printed the unopened letter and
distributed it among the first circles OF Mem
phi.. accompanied by the statement that in
hi, deliberate judgment the editor was a liar a
.coundrH and coward. Remarks OF this
Character are held by the best people OF Mem
p!, 20 indicate the very top notch Of what
are called strained relations. Whenever they
are made il is generally Understood that conf
dental intimacy between tlc palticS concerned
must G a.c until they are wiped OUT by
| what seems a singular confusion OF ideas II Is
also understood that they can only be wiped
out" by blood-pronounccd under such circum
, stances with curding prolongation of sound
| 49," b-cr-lud" This being the situation AT last
| accounts, aS we learn from press dispatches
a "conscn,uS Of public opinion has been
rcachcd-though by what process we do not
| lcarn-which j. that the editor must tight or
| leave town.
The case then stands thus: The editor in
| crticsing the Judge left il so much in doubt
| AZ 10 whether he questioned the lattcrs per
| sona integrity that the young son of the Judge
who, we presume, felt it his duty TO do the
ouarrelling for the family - long as the old
| gcnicman's hands were tied, "a il were, by
his clminc, wrote to. find out about it, The
editor may have thought the young man was
| too bumptious and with a sniff referred him
to the dictionary or he may have been ami
mated by a sincere desire I, plact' the young
person, and not having ready the soft answer
tina, tGrncth away wrath have sent him to the
dictionary 70 find it. However that may be-
| the Youngsters wrath grew instead OF beng
turned away. and in that state Ct mind ne
wrt, the second letter, which, being returned
| uncpcncd he published. II i one of the ncc2S-
sites Of a situation like this that tho public
| should be- admitted, 80 that the whole com
mnnty may know with accuracy what each
| parry thinks Cf the other and :" CONSENSUS OF
| public opinion be reached. In the course OF
this letter the young person remarks casually
that if the hands Of his father, the Judge. had
not been tied by his judicial position. "youf
cowardly hide would have been thraShcd Is
YOU deserve In that case. if we correctly
understand it, there would have been n long
or a question Of the Judges p r,onal int gritty
in anybody's mind. The Judge being disabled
from indicating his own personal integrity by
lhrashing the c0waIdly hide OF the man who
was suspected of having doubted it, the son
took the matter up. Ills proposition was to
yindcate his fathers good name somewhere
outside the State by some process limited ut but
not fully described, but supposed to be con-
neccd in some way with firearms Swords,
knives haipoons or other deadly weapons.
% do mt intend h. considerably observes,
"and will not violate the laws Of Tennessee,
but | respectfully request that yon will name
some time and place outside OF Tennessee
where | can communicate with yon further"
Nothing. we undertake 10 say could be nicer
than this. Here is the most sensitive regard
for fathers good name combined with an
earnest determination to avoid violating the
laws of Tennessee. The laws of some state
must be violated, of course, in pursuance of his
flial duty but loyalty to his own State for
bids his violation Of the laws of Tennessee.
There is something very touching in this COM
bination Of State pride and flial piety. And
yet we do not quite understand why there
beng"a consensus Of public opinion that the
editor must fight or leave town. there should
not be similar " CONSENSUS that they should
have il out in Tennessee In fact we do not
see clearly how as simple matter of fact
the question of the Judges personal integrity
is going to be affected one way the other
by the fight which, according to the "consen-
srs" is necessary. The Judge himself it is
said. ON one occasion killed n man with
knife near Pine Bluff. Ark" This, we sup
pose was also in yindication of his personal
integrity and probably in accordance with an