The Tucson citizen., 1902-01-29
THE PISTOL IN ARIZONA.

The Los Angeles Times OF Monday
IN furtheranee OF its vjndittive cam
paien against home rule for Arizona,
priuts a cartoon on it's first page re-
presenting Arizona in the full togs of
n border ruttian. reyolyered spurred
and booted. knocking at the door OF the
Union demanding admission, Perhaps,
the Times is honest in the belief that
the border ruflian type is cnaracter-
istlc of Arizona, but we beg leave to
assure our contempory that the bad
man is as rare in Arizona as heroism
in the military record Of the editor of
the Times.
Nowhere in the United States does
peace and order prevail more mani
festly than in Arizona. Nowhere are
the securities surrounding life and
property more jealousy maintained
than in Arizona The bad man emf
grated long ago. An obseryant traveller
can cross Arizona from California to
New Mexico without seeing an armed
man The franchise of the Arizona
Kicker" has been absorbed by the Los
Angeles Times and only tenderfeet
and tourists habitually wear pistols.
But even If Arizona were fairly re-
prncaptad in tho partOaD Df tho Times
it should be no bar to its admission to
the Union The picture in the Times
represented a sturdy character, one
apparently able to take care of him
self-one who would not need Re-
publican Force dill and a Federal
bayonet to assist him to put his ballot
in the box and have it counted.
The habit of carrying pistols Is
American rather than Arizonian. Just
now in one of the original thirteen
States the old commonwealth of South
Carolina to wit. strenuous efforts are
being made to reduce the pistol to a
state of innocuous desuetudo, A law
was passed by the last Legislature of
that State, and will go into effect in
July, which it is hoped will accom-
plish the purpose in view. Under that
act no pistol can be offered for sale
In South Carolina after the statute be-
comes effective which weighs less than
three pounds ana is less than % inches
in length 1t is plain that a man armed
with one of these monsters cannot
we'll conceal it about his person. The
object of the law is to put an end to
the pernicious practice of carrying
concealed weapons-a practice which
has been responsible for many wanton
and unprovoked murders not only in
South Carolina. but in every other
State in the country. The man who is
in the habit OF carrying pistol in his
pocket is apt to use 1t on slight pro-
vocation or on no proyocation at all.
He shoots in haste and repents at lei
sure-tne repentance rarely being COM
mensurate with the crime he has COM
mitted or the grief which he mas
caused others.
In Arizona concealed weapons are
a rarity The man who has a pistol on
his person has it in full view. Indis-
criminate shooting Is very rare and
no State in the Union can show rec
ord of less murders than can this
Territory. The pistol is not part of the
Arizona mans attire. but the use of
the pistol. when necessary, is by no
means lost art.
Long ago a wholesome public OPT
nion abolished the revolver as a mere
ornament 1t was discovered that very
few men could lug a pistol around
from day to day without ultimately
coming to grief or doing injury to
others. When the Indian abandoned
the war path. and the desperadoes from
the older States found inhospitable
graves here the pistol gradually dis
appeared as a necessary equipment.
In Arizona the walking arsenal is now
regarded as freak or a humbug, and
is just about as popular with the peo-
pie at large as an organizer Of union
labor in the office of the Los An
geles Times.