Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1874-06-19
MUZ2LING THE PRESS.

Who would have predicted. that in an
American Congress. and by number Of
the party of progress at that. that an
attempt would be made to stifle the lib
erty Of the press? One would have
scarcely thought it, but it is nevertheless
true. Our Washington kilograms pub
lished yesterday. contained the interest
ing announcement that Butler lost no
time in rushing before the House Judi
ciary Committee with the Senate Judi
ciary bill, one section of which is care
fully formed SO as to compel newspaper
publishers having agents or correspond
ents at any point respond thereat in libel
suits instead OF at home. Although
adroitly phrased, the purpose is sufi-
GENTLY transparent to provoke universal
announcement by the press as q scheme
of Congress TO prevent newspaper criti-
cism." So, smarting under the obloquy
caused by the late exposures. the lobby
ISIS and iobbers of the Senate and Con-
gress wish to stiae the voice Of public
criticism. and prevent the publication Of
the structures that their venality so justly
| deserves. This is at once an admission
of the power Of the press, and an effort
to control it. But the authors of this
bill have mistaken their position, which
they will yet find out to their sorrow.
They are the paid servants of the peo-
pie. and not their masters. They
are sent to the National Legislature
to respect the voice and to enact the will
of the people, and not to fetter or control
the one or the other. They are the in
struments and not the controlling power
They are the stewards, and will yet be
called upon to give strict account of
their doings, and they had better look to
it that their record is clear. OF late the
men who have been entrusted with the
important duties of legislating for their
countrymen seem to have forgotten
! themselves. Clothed with brief author
ity, they cease to remember that those
who elevated can pull them down, and
fancy that they are not only not SUBJ
ject to the popular will, but they must
not even be made the subject of remark
by the common herd; that their acts
must be discussed with bsted breath,
and studious care observed that their
High Mightinesses may not be offended.
These miserable do-funnies are in
too great haste. They are plucking
the pear before it is ripe, and they had
better have a care or it will sadly sour on
their stomachs. Whatever may befal
this government, whether it may degen-
crate into Cesarism or not, that epoch
has not yet arrived, and these men who
strut in high places will find that any at
tempt to prevent the free and legitimate
expression Of public opinion will rouse q
tempest, that will sweep them away like
straws before an avalanche. Not long
since the New York Sun denounced the
Washington frauds. The head rascal,
Governor Shepherd, tried to drag Dana,
the editor Of the Sun, to Washington to
be tried by a tribunal which would do
anything he asked for. The villainous
scheme failed, and now the charges made
by the Sun are oil proved to be true, ant
Shepherd shown to be as big rascal a,
Tweed. Again, Senator Chandler, an
other bright light. got drunk, and
Buell. the correspondent of De
troit paper, dared to say So
Consequently Chandler got mad, and
wanted to do, We don't know what, to
poor Buel because he had the temerity te
tell the truth. The result OF all this i.
that the Senate wants the awkward
truth-tellers to be silenced, hence its lit
tie bill and hence Buffers haste, for ht
too, for good and sufi cient reasons
would like bride put on the press. l
tells unwelcome facts about him. Blu
it will not do. These fellows will fine
that the best way to prevent damaging
exposures is to have nothing to expose
If they were not guilty they would nj
more dream of muzzling the press thai
they would Of gagging a Senator o
Representative on the floors of their re
spectiye Chambers, The trouble is tb
press twits on facts; it is the truth tina
stings and it is the smart that has mad