Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-04-11
UNWRITTER LAW ARE
AS STRONG AS WRITTEN
Tradition Has Made Them
Respected

1t is the unwritten law of the sea
that a captain must go down with his
ship. Men dare not write it in the
contract, and nations dare not incOr-
porate it in their navy or marine reg
ulations, yet the tyrants of the sea
know the law, and believe that to obey
it betters their service, and there are
few instances Of its being disregarded.
1t is the unwritten law of the army
and navy that an officer shall not seek
cover, or at least shall not show APP
prehension of danger to his person in
time of battle and in the presence of
enlisted men or common sailors. In
the Franco-Prussian War nearly A.
600 officers of the German army were
killed, and the great majority of them
gave up thir lives because they believ-
ed in the law of conduct.
In obedience to this law Farragat
bound himself to the mast, Lee rode to
the head of his charging column at the
bloody angle, and Lawton walked COOL
ly in front Of the line and was shot in
the presence of his men.
The law of the right of revolution
has been much talked about and much
written about. Every intelligent cit
izen believes that he has the right UNI
der certain conditions to oppose the
established Government of his own
land, and join in an effort to establish
another in its place Just prior to and
during the Civil War there was much
discussion in this country by learned
men on either side of the right of
revolution and the higher power and
the greater law
The law justifying one person in the
killing of another has required the
serious consideration of every coun-
try Every criminal code provides cer-
tain punishments for homicide, and
many of them graduate the punish
ment with minute particularly, ac-
cording to the circumstances Of the
killing, so that any one of six crimes
may be involved in a single tragedy.
Such codes also attempt to define
what killing is justifabIe nd what is
excusable and with their Interpretation
by the courts attempt to describe the
only conditions under which one hui
man being can kill another and not De
guilty of crime.
The Hebrew code almost stands
alone in its recognition of mans desire
to kill and his right to have that desire
and that climax of all satsfactions
which comes to him who under great
proVocation Stays another. 1t is not at
all strange that in this branch there
should be an extended code of unwrit-
ten as written law, unwritten now and
always to be unwritten for the reason
that the recognition given by it's en-
boidement in the statues would be TAX
en- as a license by dishonest men and
would result in harm rather than good.
1t is an unwritten law among the
officers of the army that if a subordi-
nate officer kills superior officer be-
cause that officer has publicly degrad-
ed him by striking him or by other ac-
ton equally humiliating then the
Court-martil will not convict. During
the Civil War at Louisville, Ky, Cen
eral Nelson said to General Davis:
How many men have yOu?"
General Davis replied, About
giving the approximate number.
Nelson said; You an army officer
and say BOUT Why don't you know
how many men you have?" And with
that he struck Davis in the face with
his glove. Davis shot and killed him,
and the Court-martal acquitted Davis.
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