Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-01-20
TiLLMAN GONZALES TRAGEDY.

For days the desperate condition of
Editor Gonzales has enlisted the pro-
found sympathy Of the entire country
and now that death has severed the
silver cord which bound this distln-
man of letters to life, his coun-
try and family. all will bow with grief
and thousands of beautiful tributes
will be paid to him whose life has been
sacrificed for a supposed principle.
But there is another figure in this
awful tragedy, Lieut.. Goxernor James
Tillman sitting silently in his cell suf-
fering doubtless for his rashness and
being branded from Maine to Mexico
savage murderer. "The heinous-
ness of the offense is aggravated
By the fact that the offender is a
high official of the state and was
armed" Those who are so seemingly
anxious in criticising Tillman should
bear in mind that Editor Gonzales was
at times fierce and bitter in his edito-
rial criticisms, and he had often, yes
repeatedly stung and e1asperated Till
man by his attacks, and it was natural
that Tillman should have cherished
deep feeling Of resentment against the
man who had so vigorously assailed
him.
A newspaper should be sure of its
facts before it attacks the character of
any man, and it should not assume
that because the object of its assaults
is public officer he is helpless in the
matter of defending himself. Whether
the editor of the States criticisms were
justifable or not the Times Recorder
cannot undertake to say. He may
have made them from a sense of public
duty, or he may have been actuated by
personal motives, If he felt that Till
man was coward he should have been
on his guard against just such an at
tack as laid him low, for it is from men
of this character that attacks of this
nature are most to be feared. 1t is a
dangerous thing for an unarmed man
to seek to create the impression in the
mind of an enemy that he is armed, for
in such a case the enemy may prompt
" proceed to action, which he might
otherwise be too brave to employ.
Editor Gonzales comes of a fighting
family as well as does Mr.. Tillman, and
the newspaper man had the advantage,
for with his sporting blood he was
doubly armed with a newspaper from
which hot shot was poured into Till
man on every available occasion.
Whether this was deserved or not the
Times Recorder does not approve of
this kind of warfare. No editor has
any right to print a line about man
he would not willingly say to him face
to face. When any other than this
policy is pursued, the high and honor
able profession of journalism is prosti-
tuted and the editor becomes a poltroon
and coward.
If character has been assaulted and an
honorable adjustment cannot be ar
ranged there seems no way but for the
offender and the aggrieved to meet in
the open and fight as our honorable
forefathers have fought since the land
ing of the pilgrims at Plymouth rock
The necessity of war, whether 1t be p
civil or a personal one, has and will ever
be considered calamity as long
as this country is dominated and
ruled by christian civilization. But
there are times when such cannot be
averted and all who shoot to kill are
not in any sense towards. No brave hu-
man being ever willingly and wantonly
wanted to commit murder 1t is unnat-
ural and directly antagonistic to every
written and unwritten law of God and
man, and no sane man or woman should
ever transgress these laws other than
to defend life, home and honor.
T. Dad Eonr WanLz 9th To Gwirpa