The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-06

WHITTIER ARE WE DRIFTING.

To what length rs this WanlOn tdh'hS
Of human life to extend? Two mere
hemici6es were reported in yesterday s
Messenger. Conditions in this state
are becoming beyond endurance. What
is the matter with our people? Has
human life no value in the eyes OF
mankind? Our entire populace seems
70 have gone mad or the subject OF
homicide. The conditions are aproll-
Ing. Society has become honeycombed
with the corrosive influence of the
man with the pistol in his hip po.ket.
No mans life is safe against his sud
den and secret attack upon the slight
est proyocation. 1t seems 10 have te-
come the order of the day for men to
go round with deadly weapons for the
purpose of resOrting to them for the
settlement of controversies. Men seem
to have gone mad on the subject Of
pistol carrying N pistol using.
Where does the trouble lie and what
Is the remedy? These are questions
the people should consider. There IS a
remedy and it should be applied. The
AldDlI IL oil ms '-CoPSAb7 -
at the bottom of this frequency of
homicides and shootings. This crime
being a secret one, it is hard to Ire
vent. but when exposed it should be
severely punished. The courts cannot
get hold of every man who carries a
concealed deadly weapon, but when a
man Is caught violating his law he
should be severely punished and when
to the offense of carrying a deadly
weapon he adds that of using it or
even attempting to use it the punish
ment should be made sufficiently heavy
to deter others from committing the
offense. AS the practice now is when
a man is arrested for some offense and
found to be carrying a concealed dead
ly weapon more often than otherwise
ne simply ~forfeits the weapon ard is
not indicted for the Tense hen
he is indicted for it he submits,
makes some trivial excuse and tne
superior court judge let's him off with
a fine and the costs n the sheriff
gives him time to settle up. With this
practice in vogue all the statutes in
the world will not put a stop to this
men who carry weapons for the r;Ir-
pose of using them on slight provpca-
ton were upon conviction sent to the
chain gang or the county jails when
they exposed their violation of this
law by attempting to use their weap-
IN. a lDnn zfaD nu-nT l hrd1 Ein nm
the habit would be made
There is too much tender feeling for
criminals in this state o with the
superior court judges and the pe0Tle.
Let the public demand that proTer
punishment shall be meted out to these
vioIators of the law and let the supe-
rior court judges heed this demand.
We have written more upon this sub
ject of late than we intended at the
outset. but circumstances have forced
us into it. We feel that it IS our duty
TO call the attention of the people to
the conditions that exist in our state
and to try to impress upon them the
necessity for their betterment. 1t is not
q desire to be at all sensational that
we make these reiteratfons. but from
a sense of duty. Unless a malt
is called the next stage VIII be that
OF deadly family feuds and ~vendettas.
We have made rapid progress along
those lines of late. Let the courts and
public sentiment check our downward
progres before we reach that stage Of
semi-barbarisrn.
Some will say we are a sensational
ist and an aiarmist. We are not at
tempting to pose as either, u are
trying to the best of our ability to oTen
the eyes of the people of our state to
existing conditions and TO aid i'll i'm
proving them Heaven knows they are
bad and need improvement. 1t IL rot
pleasant to have to make such asser-
tons. but candor and a desire to De of
service to our state and people forces
them from us
1t is said hat when the facts in the