Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-22
PISTOL TOTERS A DISGRACE TO
GEORGIA.

The Atlanta Constitut on publishes
a list of fifty-seyen counties with the
number of indictments in each for p s.
toll toting. In the 81 there are nov
pending 500 cases of this character, an
average of nearly fifteen indictments
of this nature to the county. mas
much as the average would probably
be sustained, if not increased, were
the figures. at hand for the entire state,
it is approximately correct to say that
the 147 counties comprising Georgia
1920 persons are under indictment for
the Illegal carrying of concealed arms.
This is a terrific Indictment against
Georgia, especially when we reflect
that this small army, equivalent to two
regiments of the regular army, con-
stitutes but portion of those WAC
are persistently V olating the law
against this Infamous practice of car
rying weapons with which to take life
in a moment of passion. For every one
indicted there are doubtless several
w&o have not been caught as yet Or
ficers of the law do not search people
for weapons unless they are charged
with some other offense, or are picked
up for some misdemeanor, or are
known to have a weapon on their per-
son. About the safest way to violate
the law II Georgia is to carry a re-
volyer in the hip pocket 1t is done
daily by thousands, in cities and towns
and in the open country, and as long
as the imposing of a fine, the usual
penalty, continues, the number who
disregard the law will continue to run
into the thousands.
Much of the crime in Georgia IS due
to this carrying of concealed weapons.
A drink or two to iniame the brain, Il
ightsdifflculty, and then the ever
ready pistol gets in it's work. Without
the pistol there would, at the worst,
have been only bruised face AS a
general proposition the p stol toter
would be very slow in picking a quar-
rel but for his pistol. He is not gen
orally of the type that are noted for
their physical courage. Rum and the
revolver give them, as rule, what
ever measure of pugnacity they pos
sess.
There is one way in which this habit
can be effectually broken up, and that
is by the removal of the fine At
present the great majority of pistol
toting cases are settled by the pay
ment of fines, which go to the court Of
ficials and do the public no good This
alternative should be removed by the
legislature. The offense should be
lifted into the felony class and a year
on the gang should be the minimum
imposed for its infraetion. To be sure
this would result, if enforced, in the
add ton of a number of white con-
yicts to the number now helping to
build the good roads system of the
state. But the white murderer is no
better than the negro murderer, and
he white pistol toter is not one whit
more worthy of consideration than
he negro pistol toter. There may be
lines when men, working a particul-
lrly bad class of negroes, as on a
urpentine farm, may feel compelled /
o carry a weapon, but in such event it /
AN be carr ed where it is visible and |
he law not offended. The man who
.arries a gun because his business
,uts him in position where he may be
n danger constitutes so small a pro-
PORTION of the army of pistol toters as
o be an almost negligible factor in
he consideration of the matter. But
or the thousands who carry pistols in