The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-09-08
"The Land of Murder"

In the United States the murderer
claims more victims every year than
in any other civilized and enlightened
country in the world, says an ex-
change. Homicidal mania prevails
in this progressive land to a far
greater extent than in any nation in
Europe. Our people are shocked and
Mortified, and very properly so, when
a president or high official is struck
down by the hand Of the assassin.
The attempt to assassinate Mayor
Gaynor, OF New York, has stirred the
republic to its depths. Yet the coun-
try has never become aroused as It
should be to the appalling prevalence
of murder in the United States-to
the frightful toll Of human life which
is taken every day. This country,
has indeed, acquired an unenVlable
reputation as the land of murder.
Hardly a day passes in which the
newspapers do not record many
crimes OF manslaughter. The mania
is not local or sectional. 1t is nation
wide. Americans, as rule, are law
abiding and God-fearing men. Yet
there is an element among them
which is quicker and more desperate
in the use of deadly weapons than
the people of any other land. In
1907 it was estimated that we were
having about 5000 murders year
which was from eight to twenty-five
times as many, in proportion to popu-
lation, as Great Britain, France,
Germany and Jopan have. This
is a record which the thoughtful peo-
ple of this country should ponder long
and seriously. That human life
should be held so cheap in this pro-
gressive and enlightened land, that
the United States should have the
chastity and evil distinction of lead
ing the civilized world in the num-
Der of murders committed yearly, is
cause for national humiliation.
! One of the reasons why manslaugh-
ter is so frequent and so common in
the United States is the habit which
prevails to a widespread extent of
carving concealed weapons. This
habit, it is we'll knowE is not re-
stricted to the lawless elements in
our citizenship. Men of good re-
pute, law-abiding citizens, are often
found among the class who carry
arms habitually. They are not OF the
type of deliberate murderers. They
are not brawlers seeking quarrel.
But when disputes arise they are
prone to make use of deadly weapons.
The list of murders is swelled every
year in this way. Men take human
life in hot blood over comparatively
trivial matters. There ought to be
public sentiment against the carrying
of concealed weapons which would
outlaw every man who went about
armed unless he was engaged in an
occupation in which his life was con-
stantly in danger. And this public
sentiment should find expression IN
the vigorous and impartial enforce
ment of the law against all who make
a practice of carrying pistols or other
deadly weapons without the permis-
sion of the authorities. The man who
goes about armed in a civizived coun-
try ought not to be tolerated. In
moment of passion, when he has lost
self-control, he may do murder-and,
in fact, often does murder-in
quarrel growing out of trifing causes.
In Europe it is only the criminal
classes and the anarchists and revo-
lutionists who carry concealed Wea-
pons. The average citizen is not
"pistol-toter. Hence the small num-
Der of homicides in England, france
and Germany as compared with the
appalling number of cases Of man
slaughter in the United States. Pub
lie sentiment in Europe will not tol-
crate the pistol-carrying habit by citi-
zens who profess to be law-abiding.
We should cultivate the same whole
sale sentiment in the United States
and enforce it by law more vigorously
than ever before.