The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-27

NEEDED REVISION OF PUBLIC SBNTI-
MENT.

1 MENT.
The Rev. f. O.. Watson, pastor of
Bethel M. e. church, Charleston, and
who is well known and highly esteemed
in Newberry, delivered sermon on
Sunday morning, upon the subject,
Needed Revision of Public Sentiment
in South Carolina. The topic upon
which special stress was laid was the
Tillman-GonZalest tragedy, the memory of
which is but too fresh among the people
of this State. Mr.. Watson in comment
ing upon the tragedy, said:
1--WE need a reform in public senti-
ment ths shall make the taking of hu-
man life Tor words a crime absolutely
without defence. A reform that shall
recognize that no words of a man to a
man justify even personal violence
An, now poor cause must any
mere words appear, as one looks
at blood-staineu hand and has to bear
the lash of a blood-staned conscience!
With this reform fair play will require
revision of public sentiment concerning
free speech. We are too free Of
speech. There is too great readiness to
indulge in social defamation, commonly
calico tattling. Men are too quick to
charge others with ong-doing in bust
ness and in official administration. Press
and pulpit are often too free with pen
and lip to denounce and abuse. We
would not have a muzzled pulpit or a
muzzled press. but with a public senti-
sonal violence or bloodshed;' fair play
demads greater caution in utterance
and that utterance, however, true and
necessary, shall be parliamentary, not
to say polite, and shall be all the more
forceful for being so.
I'VE need revision Of public senti-
ment that shall make the carrying of
weapons in itself crime, whether these
weapons weigh four ounces or four
pounds, whether they measure six
inches or six feet, and whether they be
concealed or Lnconcealed. The mere
fact of man being armed should be
considered prlma tacie evidence of an
intention to commit 4 crime Without
such sentiment we may add law to law
upon the statute books to no avail With
such public sentiment men will be led to
discard the pocket pistol as an article of
dress and, being without weapons, cow
afNS (DraVc men arc usually unarmedD
Will be more cautious and self-controlled
in speech and action
eve need q revision of public senti-
ment that shall make the carrying of
weapons in itself crime" True words
these. There is no more detestable
habit than the carr ying of concealed
weapons, and there is no other one
thing that leads to half as many deplor-
able crimes. But so long as public SEN
timent upholds, or even condones the
habit, 50 long will concealed weapons be
carried. Legislatures may pass laws,
and they may provide even y conceivable
means for their enforcement, but no law
is going to be enforced unless it is
backed by healthy public sentiment.
We need in this State a public senti-
mcnt that shall unequivocally condemn
the carrying Of concealed weapons.
Human life in South Carolina is bccom-
ing too cheap.
We Go not believe we in South Caro-
lima will ever reach the time referred
to by Mr.. Watson, when we shall have
''public sentiment that shall make the
taking of human life for words crime
absolutely without defence, shall recop
NAV '''''' ho "oidS ol Il man 10 4 man
justify even personal Violence" how
ever desirable such state of affairs
might be. But it is a fact that we are
too free of specch.' AS I'VE have often
SAID, the freedom Of the press is too
often construed as the right cf a news
paper to say whatever it p!eases, G.
gardless of anything or of anybody.
Too many editors, we are glad to saw,
however, that they number very few in
this State, hold nothing sacred. We be-
lleve in freedom of speech but the
right OF freedom Of speech ought not to
be construed as license to say what one
pieases, no matter how many pure char
acters may be DETAINED, or how manv
things that are sacred are hcldup to the
gaze of curious world.
1T will be many, many wears before
there Is public sentiment in this State
that says that there are no words that
justify blows. So long as South Caro-
llnlans remain South Carolinians there
are words that are going to be followed
by blows. The public sentiment that
we need and that is coming is one that
shall hold sacred the right of freedom
or speech and that shall condemn in no
uncertain manner the carrying of con-
cealcd weapons as articles of dress or
Of ornament.