The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-02-19
plunter &Aemotrat.
SAINT PAUL.
Saint Paul, Friday, Feb. 10, 1854.



The decision of the case of ALpR1oH vs.
The Press Printing Company, by the Su-
preme Court, properly leads the popular
mind to some reflections upon the subject
of this article. We do not, like our neigh
bors of the Press, propose to argue the
law.and correctness of decision made by
the highest judicial authority of the State.
We-simply wish to present some practical
and ,eommonzsense views, concerning the
nonjddicial aspects Of tLat case, and the
popular bearings of libel and printers, lib
erty,in general. o,;-a III, . ...ss
Libel, like liberty, in law has two as
poets, the civil and the criminal; and per-
haps it was in a too free indulgence in this
latter kind Of liberty that our amiable
friends, the defendants above named, have
incurred the civil aspect of the penalties of
libel. We cannot refrain, though, from
saying, as we believe the public will think,
that the plaintiff ought not to have brought
this action. A civil action in such case
only lies when the publication is scandal
lous as well as false and in these times, in
the light Of present examples, it may bother
the public to see the scandal involved in a
charge of so slight an abnegation of the
laws of meum and tuum as that alleged by
the Press against the plaintiff. In fact, a
party about to invoke the vengeance of the
law in such a case, ought to consider the
popular distinction now made between a
private and public peccadillo. He should
also remember how much force there is in
the observation made of a certain Tennes-
seean, that she never had any character
at all, until he stole a side Of leather. - in
Now, undoubtedly, all these considers
items will be plead in the forum of public
opinion. Perhaps, also, as the whole diff
Guilty grew out of q political contest, the
question Of damages may, in an ethical
view, be assessed by political injury as
measured by political results. If such may
be taken as the standard of adjudication Of
this issue, we are sure that no jury have
said, or will say, that Mr.. ALDR1oH owes
his disappointed hopes of occupying seat
in the United States Senate to any morbid
disease of honesty on the part of his chief
competitor, Governor RAMSEY. W.
This is about all the argument that can
be made against Col. ALDR1oH for giving
the Press people little piece of that
epure vexation called suit at law. >
But, on the other hand, We would say to
the defendants that however much they
may love liberty of speech, or that broader
privilege Of saying just what they please
about anybody Or 'any other man" yet
that sometimes ga close mouth shows q
wise head" We suppose it is very sweet
to SOME people to pour out the walls Of
their wrath on almost anybody's devoted
head, yet, as it has been elegantly ex.
pressed by writer on this subject, ga
ran may be permitted to keep poison in
his closet, but not to vend it as healthful
cordial" @ ''7'a a'i l5'' .s'js3a
We advise our friends cf the Press,
then, to swallow and digest their venom,
or to relieve themselves hereafter by re.
viewing the decisions Of the Supreme Court.