Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-07-03
Capitalization with a Vengeance.

Senator Carpenter now explains, over his
own signature, thai the bill commonly known
as the gag-blI had mo special reference to
(newspaper) publishers" Furthermore,
''the idea that n company or individual pub
fishing paper in New York could be sued
in this District (of Columbia) for libel pub
lished in New York is unfoundcd."
The word of senator of the United States
on n subject about which he must be sup
posed to be fully informed ought to be final.
Unhappily, it isn't. The fact that the section
containing the alleged assault upon the free
dom of the press was not in the original bill,
but was, apparently, an aftcr-thought; the
other fact TINT so astute lawyer us Allen
&. Thurman, to say nothing of Messrs. Bay
ard and Wadlelgh, instantly spotted it as
"gag law" in effect, If not in purpose; the
other fact that neither Nj. Carpenter nor
any senator friendly to the bill took accession
at The time to point out tho mistaken character
of this view; tho other fact that an amend
ment explicitly excluding cases of alleged
libel or Islander was promptly voted down;
the other fact that the lawyers of the house
judiciary committee seem 10 have agreed
with Mr.. Thurman,-all these facts, taken
together, may serve to excuse, If not to justi-
fy, the hesitation of the parties chiefly inter-
ested in accepting Mr.. Carpenters somewhat
tardy disclaimer.
Close on the heels of this disclaimer, comes
one of the same sort from Congressman
Luke p. Poland, of Vermont. Like MI
Carpenter Mr.. Poland is n candidate for re-
election. Toward the close of tho session,
ho introduced bill "giving TO tho regular
criminal courts of the District"-wc quote
his own scription-"concurrcn Jurlsdlc-
ton with the police courts" Tho bill hay
| ing excited unfavorable comment, he now
writes to n Boston journal; 81 never thought
of newspapers in connection with the BILL
and presume no one else did, for can sec
no possible effect it can have on thcm or
their conductors" 1t was introduced, he
adds, ut the request of the District bench
and bar, and there was no previous consul
tation, rs charged, with Senators Frclinghuy-
sen and Edmunds. Indeed, 1t is Mr. Po-
lands belief that those senators were ms in
nocent of any design upon the. press in the
whole business as he was himself.
Mr.. Carpenters measure, MS our readers
may remember, met with an accident in the
house; Mr.. Poland's, on the other hand, is
now part of the law of tho land, and 1t be-
comes matter of some practical concern
ment that its exact operation and bearings
should be generally understood. The ques-
ton of animus, however interesting, is OF
secondary importance. The bill enacts
/. That the criminal court OF the District
of Columbia shall have jurisdiction of all
crimes and misdemeanors committed in
said district, not lawfully tried in any other
court, aud which are required by law to be
prosecuted by indictment, on information.
H. That the provisions of the thirty-third
section of tho judiciary act of 1883 shall APP
ply to courts created by the act Of congress
In the district Of Columbia.
Referring to the judiciary net IN question
we find that section 80 starts of as follows;