The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1906-11-16
The Cartridges Ordinance.

dUle lnleIeSI Vic pioSSohihSS vi
the board of aldermen of our
town, of the seventh inst. | do
not desire to criticise the acts of
our public servants but the sec
ton (seetion - referring to
pistols and pistol cartridges, rifle
and rifle cartridges impresses me
SO wildly that l cannot defer off
erins some (friendly) criticisms.
| cannot believe that the board
considered for one moment the
actual effect of such an ordinance.
| cannot believe that the board
thought for moment that they
were catering to the wishes of
such firms as Montgomery Ward
& Co., Sears, Roebuck & Co.,
and John NJ. Smith & Co.
| remember very well when the
legislature of our state first
passed an act prohibiting the sale
of pistols and also when it passed
an act prohibiting the sale of
pistol cartridges. Those acts
seemed to be for the moral good
of the community and were no
doubt voted for by many for that
purpose alone. The next act was
an act prohibiting the sale of rifle
cartridges for pistols. But if the
truth could be known l am fully
confident that the firms above re-
ferred to lobbied SAID acts through
our legislature for their own sell
fish benefits. 1t is not the profits
alone that they expect to make in
selling pistols and pistol and rifle
cartridges, but they figure that
when an order is sent to them
for such things it will almost in
yariably be accompanied by All
order for something else in order
to make up a shipment. Such
firms as above mentioned are the
very shrewdest schemers and
being possessed of almost unlim-
tied capital they are a power be-
hind the throne. They are using
their utmost endeavors to have
congress pass a parcels post law.
Such a law if passed would mean
the ruin of individual enterprises,
and the consolidation of capital
into such amounts that competi-
ton would he Il thing OF the past.
Why is meat so high today!
Simply because there is n" COM
petition between the packers.
Kill out all the small retail mer-
chants and turn the business over
to such firms as Montgomery
Ward 6 Co., and the people will
get no accommodations and will
pay dear for what they get. Send
an order to them for 81, 1000 worth
of goods and then after you get
the goods apply to them for some
thing for some one in distress and
see what you will get-nothing.
Does the prohibiting the sale of
pistols aud pistol and rifle cart
ridges lessen the use of such! |
say no. 1t does not seem so
when fire brakes out in town.
Such things as pistols. pistol and
rifle cartridges should be sold as
other merchandise, with one eX-
ception, and that is pistols and
pistol cartridges should not be
sold to minors. Suppose that an
occasion In which we should need
a considerable amount OF cart
ridges at once should arise, what
would be the situation? We
would be at the mercy of the
other fellow, who of course
would be prepared for the occas-
ion. 1t fairly tickles such firms
to see us act so foolish.
Of course, the ordinance re-
ferred to above is in accordance
with an act of the legislature of
our state, but said act is wrong
and should be repealed. | have
another subject or two | wish to
,yr;fa about latar en- tbIS may NOT