Weekly Graphic

Carrying Deadly Weapons.

What do men and boys carry pistols for? We are not in a state of war, and if we were a shot gun, rifle or musket would be far more effective. They are useless for hunting game. The laws are in operation: officers, courts and jails abound. What then is the necessity for their presence in every third or fourth hip pocket on the street? They mean crime, they mean murder, they mean assassination. The very fact that they are at hand tends to the commission of crime. An exchange aptly remarks: Many a man has in the heat of passion, committed murder simply because its most convenient implement was at hand. Many a good hearted man has swung from the gallows, or filled a felon's cell because in his hot wrath this "toy" was within reach.

The authorities of the great cities have begun a hot crusade against the carrying of pistols. We are glad of it. Let the rural districts look after the gentlemen with hip pockets also. It is an insult to a peaceful community to go about like a walking arsenal. The laws already on the books are sufficient—let them be enforced. There is no excuse for a man or boy making an armed belligerent of himself, in a community where the law protects the life and property of the citizen.