Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-20
TIE TWO LIBEL suITS.


Both the papers of this city yester-
day made mention of the fact that two
libel suits had been instituted in the
Circuit Court of this county. These
announcements might, unexplained.
lead to the inference that the suits
were instituted reciprocally BY and
pending between the Republican Ban
ner and the UNION AND AMERICAN,
which is by no means the case. That
the public may fully understand the
matter, We will give statement which
we hope viii be clear enough, though
brief, to inform them fully.
/. Col. Burch, the Comptroller of
the State Treasury, felt that his name
and character as citizen and as apub-
lic officer had been so treated in the
columns of the Banner as to warrant
him in proceeding against The propri-
etors of that paper in suit for libel,
and hence the suit which he insti-
tuted.
With this suit the UNION AND
AMERICAN has no concern whatever.
1t is a matter exclusively between Col.
Burch and the Banner If the Banner
can make good its charges, it is well
come to do 50, SO far as this paper is
concerned. Col. Burch is the owner
of an interest In the UNION
AND AMERICAN COMPANY, but he is
not the editor of the paper, and has
not been since he assumed the duties of
the Office of Comptroller. He is an Of
ficer of the State, responsible to the
public for his integrity and faithfulness
in the discharge of his duties, and as a
citizen has a proper regard for his
character But this is, we repeat,
matter between Col Burch and the
Banner. If the Banner should prove its
allegations, we shall herald its success
even more widely than it can possibly
do. If Col. BuEch should recover all
or any portion of his alleged damages,
the UNION AND AMERICAN Will not be
beneficiary to the extent of one single
nickel.
3. Upon the service of process in the
suit of Col Burch upon the Banner,
the proprietors of that paper brought
suit, also for libel, against Col. Burch
and other stockholders In the UNION
AND AMERICAN. The involuntary CO.
defendants in this suit, are in
no manner whatever interested in
the COMPREHENSIVE OF the success
or failure Of Col. B. against the Ban
Rer. If the Banner can show that the
UNION AND AMERICAN has, either de-
signedly or by inadvertance, given
publicity to ibelous matter concerning
1t, the court should award to it the
damages sustained thereby. This
the UNION AND AMERICAN Will en-
deavor to satisfy promptly, as 1t does
all just claims against it.
3. The public are requested to bear
in mind that Col Burch, as an officer of
the State and as a citizen, sues the
Banner on his own Individual response
bility, for defamation of character.
The Banner undertakes t. bring a
counter suit against the UNION AND
AMERICAN. when in fact the suits are
wholly different in object and interest.
These facts being understood, we
desire to add, that, pending the suits,
the uniform course of the UNION AND
AMERICAN on all public questions Will
not be changed. The public mind will
scarcely be warped from its pur-
pose by what may transpire be-
tween the papers concerned, or
the individuals concerned In this much
to-be-regretted litigation. This paper
has lived long enough and proved
steadfast enough to all the rights and
great interests of the people to satisfy
them that no personal considerations
could induce it to betray their conf
dence or prove recreant to their in
terests.