The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-17
szuE FREEDOM OF TEE PKE>s

The case of Charles A. Dana of the New
York Sun, as brought before the public by
the suit of Ex-Governor Shepard, of the
District of Columbia, is exciting much at
tention among the people and sharp COM
ment from the press of the country. \
duty is incumbent upon every courageous
and untrammeled newspaper to glyc Mr.
Dana earnest support at this time. The
circumstances of the case have placed Mr.
Dana in the position of a champion of the
freedom of the press, as against an indi-
vidual who comes forward to make the
first test of the practical working of law
designed and framed to intimidate the
newspapers from that vigilant inspection
and Independent criticism OF the actions of
public men, which made rascaity in
official life more dangerous that at any pre-
The libel case against Mr.. Dana, brought
under the provisions of the Poland law, is
blow intended to reach far beyond the
defendant in this particular suit. 1t is
aimed at every Independent journal in the
United States, and ii it should tall Success
fully the corrupt and INSCRIPTIONS element
in. American politics would receioe an en-
enlargement to further mischief that would
cost us dearly, not only in the theft from
the public treasury but in the debauchng
of the tone Of public sentiment There
has been recently something of an effort
made to create the impression that the
press is unfair towards public men, that it
traduces them by imputing corruption to
their honest acts, that it speaks falsely of
them and refuses to state their defence,
and that by so doing it prevents proper
men from accepting office. 1t has, how
ever, been rarely mistaken, and whenever
they were its exposures have fallen harm
less. The press has come to be in some
degree censor Of public men, and the
question now, as presented in this case, is
whether or not it shall be muzzlcd
The case in point is that Sheperd, with
the district attorney, applied to the grand
Jury in Washington to indct Charles a.
Dana for libel in charging Shepherd, rs
the active manager Of the board of public
works of the District of Columbia, with
spending millions of money with a lavish
ness that neither the extent nor the proper
cost of its work in improving Washington
could nearly justify. The investigation
sustained The allegation and revealed The
further fact that large percentage of thi.
money went into the pockets of favored
individuals, the pets Of the district ring, by
fraudulent contracts. The results Of III,
congressional investigation are too wei
known to need recapitulation here. II
results led to such general belief in Shep
herds criminality that when Shepherd
name was presented to the Senate by Pres
ident Grant as q member Of the presen
commission to administer the affairs of thu
district, the Senate, with loftier lndepend
cncc than it has shown during the prcsen
administration, promptly rejected him.
But this is not the issue in point il hai
little to do with the question. The corrup
iionists Of Congress made common caus,
against the press. The special correspond
ents in Washington unearthed the ras
cally at the national capital. The scheme
was set on foot to amend the judiciary
laws so that the editor or principal might
be arrested and carried from one state tC
another for an offense committed in thu
second state by his agent. As, for exam
pie, the editor of the Burlington free Pres
might be arrested in that city and taken tc
Washington for trial on a libel suit, the
basis of which would be some statement
by the Washington correspondent of the
free Press The plan was sprung toe
early in the session the newspapers de.
tected it, and the House did not pass IT.