New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-09
yEVSPAPER CONFIDENCE.

NEWSPAPER CONFIDENCE
The proceedings against one OF the
subordintes of this Office to compel him to
| disclose he name of the writer of the article
upon which Judge McCuo has already brought
an actor for libel against both The TRIBUNE
| and its responsible editor have recently taken
a new AMI unexpected turn. Judge McCue,
who seeIB to be more anxious to wreak his
vengeanc than to mend his reputation, obtained
an order or a referee to take the testimony
of Mr.. Sinks upon this long contested point
| Mr.. Sbanb refused to give the information
demandedOf him on the ground first. that it
was irrelevant, the editor of THE TRIBUNE
having assumed all the responsibility OF the
! article, ant being ready to answer for 1t IN
court and secondly, that to tell the writer's
name would be dishonorable breach
| of confidence. 1t was supposed that
| an order void next be made committing Mr..
| Shanks to jal The counsel for The TRIBUNE,
however, applied Oh Wednesday to have the
proceedings et aside, arguing that the Court
| could not albw its process to be exercised for
the discovery of defendant in libel suit.
The plaintiff must find out who has injured
him before h attempts to bring his suit he
cannot come into court And fish for a de-
PENDANT On this point Judge TapDan has re-
served his dGisiOn, and further proceedings in
this extraordinary, persistent, and as it would
seem, vindicive attempt to imprison jour
nalist for refusing to violate his professional
obligations. .re meanwhile suspended
AS we have said before neither THE TRIB-
UNH nor anybody connected with it wants to
shirk the responsibility for its words. When
ever We are conscious of having done any
body wrong we endeavOr promptly to repair
it, whether We are sued or not but when we
are satisfied that we are right we always meet
libel suit with cheerful alacrity, and are
capable of mixing it very uncomfortable for
our adversary We have frequently expressed
our readiness, to substantiate our charges
against Judge McCue, and have reminded
him that the pecuniary responsibility of THE
TRIBUNE is ample in case he asks for dam
ages, and that the paper has an editor and
chief proprietor, in case he wants a defendant
more tangible than corporation. But when
he seeks to unvail our business secrets In
order to crafty bis animosity we do not in
tend to accommodate him, and we trust there
is no power in the cOults to compel us to do
80. This is matter which directly touches
tho liberty and independence of the press.
Every metropolitan Journal is in the habit of
receiving intelligence and accepting articles
from many sources outside its own office,
sometimes from men in high positions, some
times from obscure privste citizens, with the
distinct understanding that the names of these
contributors shall not be revealed. The editor
judges of the credibility Of statements thus
received, and when he is satisfied of their
truth he puts them forth as his own. If they
wrong anybody he does not shelter himself
behind an anonymous correspondent he as
sumes the responsibility he says in effect:
"That article is mine; no matter whether
"wrote it myself or took it from another
"hand; I stand ready to answer for it,"
Neither the public nor the courts are justified
in demanding of him any more than this.
Confidence between the editor and his contrib
utors is absolutely essential to the success of a
good newspaper; more than that, it is of great
import to:the general interests. In these days
of official roguery and neglect, the independ-
ent press is often the chief guardian of the
public welfare. The Tweed despotism would
never have been OverthrOwn, the Credit Mo-
the Brooklyn Ring would not have been broken
up, nor the transactions Of fraudulent trust
company dragged to light, if it had not been
for the plain speaking Of the newspapers; and
the newspapers would not have discOv-
cred the facts upon which they based
their attacks if they had not been
able to assure an honorable confidence to
those who gave them information. If Tweed
and Connolly could have got a process of
court two or three years ago to discover who
furnished the evidence of theft which resulted
at last in driving one into exile and sending
the other to the penitentiary, nobody would
have had the courage to disclose their villainies,
for they could have ruined any private person
against whom their vengeance might be
aroused. Ii the Brooklyn Ring could have
forced us to give up the name OF every re-
porter and outside contributor who brought
us information of their rascalities four sources
of intelligence would at once have been cut
of, for every man who ventured to tell the
truth would have been harassed with libel
suits and prosecuted with arrests. We do not
want to subject our assistants and cOntribu-
tors TO any such danger. SO long as they keep
faith with us. we believe it is our duty to keep
faith with them. That is the simple meaning,
and the whole meaning, of the present efforts
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