Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-02-10
FISTS vs. PISTOLS


 Down in Montgomery a few days ago, two young men, sons of Gov Conner, of the state of Alabama, fancied their father had a grievance against MT. Glass of the Montgomery Advertiser Whereupon the two Messrs. Conner looked up a son of Mir. Glass, met him in one of tho principal thoroughfares of the city, and actuated by that curious and warped chivalry that permits two men simultaneously to jump on one, proceeded to pummel the said MT. Glass, jr., unmercifully and to his great phys ical damage and discomfort.
 In many of it's essential elements, this affair was not unlike others of more serious consequence. The Ken lucky feudist thinks nothing of shooting his unarmed and unwary enemy in the back; an irate father and son not a thousand miles from Montgomery have been known to go hunting jointly for one distinguished antagonist in matters political So the assault of the two Corners on the one Glass was not outside of the pale of the code of "honor' apparently governing in these matters. so far as that feature of it, at least, was concerned.
 We do feel. nevertheless, that he should not withhold from the young Messrs. Conner in this matter our warm congratulations that they contented themselves with using their fists rather than seeking to let daylight through young Glass via bullet-hole. We have no doubt they feel much better about it, as the case stands today, than they would feel had the other party to the affray been gallantly and courteously hurled headlong into Kingdom Come, without so much as a warning of the doom impendingl Per contrary, We are sure young MT. Glass is more useful about the Advertiser office alive and AiChAhS tudu uc Woulu Dc dDOuJ tue cemetry sleeping the sleep that knows no waking. There are, at the outside, only black eye or so and few bruises to account for-and they are small mat ters when weighed against widow s weeds the grief of father and mother, sisters, brothers, loved ones. and so forth and 50 on, as the situation might have been.
 We do not know that the two Messrs. Conner and the one MT. Glass have set tied anything in particular in respect of their fathers differences of opinion, of course. Each paternal ancestor is very probably of the same opinion still, only more so. But it is unquestionably and undisputably true that they have settled quite as much with their fists as they would have settled with their guns, had they chosen the more violent remedy prescribed by the regulations in- voked in justification of such matters on occasions.
 Gentlemen-naturally, by rule or in- clination-who feel they must have a physical safety valve through which to let of accumulated steam, wrath, or what not, upon the realization of an insult, real or imaginary, are cheerfully advised to use their fists rather than pistols. The former may be entirely unnecessary in nine cases out of ten, to be sure, but their employment rarely results fatally, and cannot always be considered the limit of cowardice; the pistol method has utterly nothing to recommend it under any circumstances.
 Let us hope the Messrs. Conner will continue to grow in grace. Perhaps, in time, they may come to be first class citizens.
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