The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-09-16
BALTIMORE.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER l6. 1853.

t'The assault upon newspaper office in this
Getty" and, we presume, by parity of reasoning,
upon newspaper editor ''is an event so capable
'sof being magnifed in Importance and wrested
s!from its real significance into the seriousness CT
can attack npon the liberty of the press that there
'should be no hesitation upon the part of the pub
''lic, however differently it may be disposed to
''view the affair, in uniting its efforts to condemn
call such foolish attempts at intimidation, and to
''secure the punishment of their perpetrators
Such was the language of the Baltimore 4mericdn
when speaking of an attack made by band of
outlaws with clubs and pistols, upon the office of
this journal and the persons of its employees. We
hope that our contemporary will not be displeased
at having its words recalled to its remembrance
when we express unqualified condemnation of
what it properly calls the extraordinary measure
''adopted by Judge STUMP" to punish one of its
proprieors for an alleged libel published in its
columns. We will not even express ourselves as
stsurprised to see that those who suffered the at
ttack are not content unless they are regarded as
'the innocent victims of an unprovoked outrage
although we undoubtedly may ''think the public
"good requires that the facts should not be per-
"verted" That the recent animadversons of the
american flor they are only recent) upon the
character and conduct of Judge STUMP, were per-
fectly just have never questioned. We had
said as much and more ourselves, long before our
contemporary aweke to a glimmering conscious
ness that the laws were badly administered in this
community, and that it was the right and duty OF
the public press to expose the errors and miscon-
duct of public servant. That right we have
always asserted, although it has more than once
been expressly denied by the Amercan. That
duty we have humbly endeavored to discharge,
even when, for so doing, we have been stigmatized
as 'libellers' We have never been guilty, however
of what our neighbor calls the Hypocrisy of
combining our structures t'to the errors of conduct
''of our political opponents" nor have we, like
the Anaerican, limited our censure to the single
case of one man, the charges against whom are
so universally admitted, that lit would be almost
''absurd seriously to bring forward the proof to
'ssustan them" and who. being without
t'friendS," according to its own confession our
contemporary doubtless deemed safe object of
attack The american boasts that it has been
''dischargng its duty' in ''exposing' facts, of
which, in the same breath, it tells that ''every
Zone admits and laments the existence For
this superfluous labor it claims the thanks of the
,nn;t, We connrotu1ata our ne;obbor ,nor
community we 'o"s ,''"i''' oo' ne's"ooi upon
winning thus cheaply the crown of martyrdom.
w ooo+ hoIr ,,,or,-o1,;nn o+ III. rool,r, e -.
position, in being thus arragned n ''public
lbeller" when reflect upon its antecedents
and recall lis own deliberate declarations upon the
subject of the independence of the press, uttered
not longer than a month ago. We quote from the
A,ocr;cou Of the 10th of August: the italicisin,,
beinr oArown:
uvo ,h;rt IN irda,anlent nress tbo hos, soc,,o., -
the public liberty, but not press merely independent of
e o oaT sfGons or Of GhdL rae
elimination in exposing abuses. Such things tend to
the violence which provokes is not less renren
sble than the violence wine I aSSili rs ., -.
their publication to the eye of prudence because Of their
tendency TO create oreach9s OF te peace erfS eris
fords remedy The Mayor or any policeman man be
n Re @Gas % @ ts s or an" hson
ceedng has norigH to the sympathy Of ne public when his
'io''H' s""se ""' P'H 'N'" '' assault
We have been and the community has been long aware
dicia unctionary zoe hare olained from Gssaiiino
me prtGaf~ chgr@eter Grem Of ''cnmn We have not
judge and punish We publish public things-ace ,cW
% "'1s @ h @ Oh opinion tnat to rid
the hands of those in power and that scury,
tie for its CHARACTER OGiciaI c5Sroct re iar @
eares to the judgment Of The trb"nats 9heni"roed legay
qmercited opinion of the public"
- .,,o or,,,;.;o,,s
Gazette by perpetual assaults on the Mayor and
o hat the Sac eed 70 snow oy 91a
exist and we content under the mputaton of
ming the doubtful character Of public beers W assn"
stsnect for the nrvate character Of norsons in off
escial station >, or abstains sfo,,, os,o;in .ho
ssnrivata character aron Of ,rl1;o MAJ, ,, s,ho
if saws of an ssincomneent and inoficnrt rudoo ),
in resnect to y matter or;sno ont of tho oxono;so
Of his nubIic functions that tbiS ,,oroo,oy olroo
sster is offensive 70 oood morals and d;sorocof 20
sthe bench that ssthe cboroc,er of Tho u,o, &c
ssirreconci,eabIe with tbe moral and considerations
sdscharpe Of his dut:es ,,-that be 10 an ssobit-
ssual drmkord ;, q stsbomeIess nrofiooto and tbo
stcomnanion and protector of courtesans y we Of
course oro 1r;tbout tbo mans of osoor.oi,;no, |
Whether if thinks itself ipstifad in donc nndor |
tho influence IF nosson and while Or,ortnn, ,don |
= nerson,l afropt that which II bod Solomn1,- |
roh,lod ourso1,,os for dono no,, ,.ro,,,,5, &c
cinla and from, considerations Of nnh1;c a,t,, ,ro
oouollv have no onnortnnitv of lnou;ro, prt
that of evils exist tho law affords = romod,.,,
that ssoAic;al cbaractor,, Sbou1d bo loft Zoe tho
CLAW, 1ooroS II 70 ,bo INDIGNANT &c tho +r;h,no,,
.sond whom not co 4aorant 90 20 ,oo,,ino .,o.
an "NI ""." io' 81 Ian. :' ~ require .n'''
and tbot ga norsor who ;s ,rv;,;rr 70 +o,-o +ho
tsreSnops;b1;tv Of 1aoa nrocoodi,o, hoe No ri,,h+
ssto the svmnotb, of tho ruh1ic ), ,ro howe tho
A,oer;can,s own artboritv for assort;no, nooa
tbon orr contonnorarr nronoso 70 nrosoomto
Tndao Srr,,,nq npos i onntannr,,oto ;nat;trt;ns