National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-09-28
TONGUES THAT ARE NO ISLANDER.

The Ishmaelite of the New York Sun
attempts to reply to a second letter from
ex-senator Matt. Carpenter upon the libel
question, which letter, however, ne appears
to be afraid to print 1t acknowledges that
the letter is square one, and all the prop
ositions are fairly put but when it attempts
to reply it declares. with flourish Of the
hand words, words, all words; nothing
but words 70 The question at issue really
is, "What constitutes the crime Of libel, or,
rather, the commission of the crimeT
Carpenter holds that the journal which
publishes the libel written by one Of is
correspondents or agents should be held
responsible for the act OF the latter at NE
place OF writing equally with the place Of
publication or printing. Is not this good
logic? How else can journals be compelled
to employ reputable and reliable agents
and correspondents, and induced to take
pains to verify the truth Of statements
affecting personal or political character be-
fore giving them publicity? The prstense
of the Sun that there is no integrity in our
District Judges, and that our courts may BE-
influenced by the interests Of men in high
official position, may be pardonsd in New
York editor whose experience in home
courts has given him hlse idea of the
purity of the ermine Had Dana estimated
the qualities of justice from the records of
the Supreme Court Of this Distrist, instead
of those in his own great and wicked city,
he would not have been in such hsss in
the imputation of weakness and man-wor-
ship TO our bench. 1t vas not Judges Cart
ter, Olin or Wylie Who sat for the picture
he limned, but BlatchSord, Barnard or
Cardozo. But our courts have long since
ceased to consider the uttsrances Of the
Sun libelous. And so, We may suppose,
has Hon. Matt. Carpenter; and it is more
than probable that he places like estimate
upon the statements of the Tribune and its
correspondents.
When person or journal enjoys the
reputation of common liar it b kArdly En-
pected that they will be held 10 rigid &C.
countsbility for their allegations. And the
more especially is this the case when .
journal continues to employ as correspond
ents and agents those who are VIGOROUSLY
extraTagant and unreliable in their state
ments regarding persons against whom they
may cherish psrSOnal prejudics and spitA
Under the theory Of Mr.. Carpentsr the
journal would become fully responsible for
the conduct of its recognized agent or cor
respondent; and, being so, would be an
swerable at the place where the crime or
libel was committed.
In commercial affairs the principal is
held responsible for the acts Of the agent,
who simply carries out his instructions in
good faith. So in the field Of journalism,
if the correspondent has general instruc-
lions 10 libel all the political and personal
enemies of his journal or its editor, and
carries out these instructions in the true
spirit of the Bohemian, by connecting, in
venting and imagining lies of all sorts,
either with or without semblance Of truth,
should not the principal be holden for the
the results? And if so, why should he not
be amenable to the courts Of the Jurisdiction
in which the hbels were psrpstrated
Should not the trial take place in commu-
nifty capable of placing proper and just
estimate upon the damage inflicted?
We can all easily imagine why Mr.. Dana
feels great personal interest in the ques-
ton of libel. There is hardly one public
man now living TO whom he is not legally
ameDable in damages. AS we have said,
his reputation for false representation is so
common that it is not likely that any man
of high character, hste and culture would
consider himself damaged by its utterances
regarding him. But the IshTnaelite is evil
IDENTIFY uneasy on this point. His vindic-
tive nature is incapable of conceiving any
one not actuated by spirit Of revenge. He
has no conception of that true greatness
which gets even with an enemy by cheap
ing Goals of fire upon his head" in the
shape of good returned for evil. Itismost
unfortunate fer the reputation of journal.
ism that such men can attain high position
in its ranks. This Ishmaelite achieved il
under the shadow and reputation Of the late
Mr.. Greeley. Many 3 cursing has the
honest, unsopbisticated Horace received
for the malignant articles penned by the
savage Dana as a return for some Yfancied
personal slight. But Greeley admired his
talents, and they lsbored industriously TO-
gether for years. Dana was the cause OF
most of Greeley's coquetry after the M
merous isms Of the day. He was himself
the real disciple Of Fourier. He was the
ruling spirit in the Brook Farm Phalan-
stery, and perhaps the only one Of the cor
porators who lost nothing by the invest
ment. He was also the enthusiast who
the great Tribune contribution
b the Irish famine fund. Under his elo-
uuent solicitations, which appeared day after
iay in the Tribune, the fund grew into