St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-01-02
5 OaG b ANA .Garluer
oHUUruay. january 2, 1909.
CARRYING CONCEALED WEAPONS


The recent shooting of Monroe Jenkins by
young Cassells is but another instance of the
eVll OF carrying concealed weapons. Since
Judge Burns has been upon the bench he
mas exercised his greatest authority in at
tempting to do away with this custom, by
imposing the severest. possible penalty for
violations of the law and by his criticism and
denunciation Of offenders.
1t seems that any reasonable penalty is
inadequate to accomplish the desired end,
and official authority cannot be extended to
the extent of searching the pockets of each
individual citizen. The remedy must lie in
educating the people up to realization that
the violation of any law is discreditable
The question should not arise in the enfoEce-
ment of any law as to whether it is good or
bad law, but simply whether it is law; and
society should look upon the laWbreaker
with suspicion and Encouragement. It has
been frequently cited that the tough carries
a weapon regardless Of the law, and that in
obeying it the peaceable and law-abiding
citizen places himself at the mercy Of the
laWless element This sentiment, and the
feeling of security from espionage or search,
has placed the pistol in the hands of many
otherwise harmless, inoffensive men at a
time when the mind is unfit to judge the
provocation or necessity for it's use, and has
been the cause of many a blighted life, many
a sorroWful repentance, and Woeful suffer
ing to many a christian family.
Society, in demanding the protection of
the law, should discountenance its violation
not be responsible for it. The judges can
do no more than infiict the penalty for DISC
bedience and officers can only exercise their
authority when the occasion arises; but
there are many men in good standing who
either carry weapons themselves or who
have failed to disapprove the action in 9TH
ers Public opinion is the most active agent
in the suppression of abuses of every nature,
and the refining influence of education alone
will produce the conditions that will make
violations Of thelaw discreditable, ipso facto.
The Daily States, of New Orleans, has the
following to say editorially on the subject:
CONGRESS AND THE PISTOL HABIT.
The chances are that Congress will give
some attention to the concealed weapon
habit. A member of the house from Ten
nessee, who is fresh from the scene of the
tragedy in which former Senator Carmack
was shot Down in cold blood;.Jwill introduce
q bill to abolish the pistol carrying evil in
the District of Columbia and the Territories
of the United States and the idea is to
make the law a model one SO that it will be
copied by all the States.
The fact is recalled that three Presidents
have been murdered while IN office, and IN
4 each instance a concealed revolver was the
weapon used. Czolgosz fired the fatal shot
while President Mex inley was shaking hands
with him, the revolver being covered by a
handkerchief. 1t is estimated that the re-
volver record is ten thousand persons killed
and 100, 900 wounded every year. II these
figures are not exaggerated they show a
CHASTITY toll on human life and a serious re-
Election on our sanity as people, but there
Is little reason to doubt that the death trib-
ute levied as the results of accidents among
boys and inexperienced persons generally is
sufficiently large to warrant an end being
nut to the pistol carrying practice through
prohibitive legislation.
IT is a fact that in no country in the world
is the pistol carrying evil so general as in
the United States, in spite OF the fact that
we boast of a high order OF civilization. 1t
seems to have come down to us from the
semi barbarlsm when existed IN the Gays
when the greater part of the country was
wild and unsettled, when there were few
laws. courts, churches and officers to pre-
serve law and order.
The promise of national legislation on the
avil IS encouraging, because a carefully
considered act aimed at its suppression will
10 doubt serve as guide for similar legisla-
ton by the various States and with best re
sl1lts for the country at large.