Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-08-28


The long trial at PIacerville was without
any results, other than such as went far to
establish the proposition that al Unprincipled
newspaper can lie down any man or any mum
Der Vi men who happen to be inimicai to
the concern. Without discussing the merits
! OF tbs. particular case, It = evident that
the courts cannot be relied upon 70 10 Justice
| between an as8ailant and the ass4sleI esyeCi-
ally Il the former happens to hay5 tie use Of
q few types and can Aing A.s iassehoo63 out
on every hand. Some year; ago Ehege was
sCue-hlay Ike an epidemic u l&tel suits
| brought by scalaWags who were after black
mail, II newspaper made slip, spelled
u name wrong, or stated fact which was
| lnC0nyenient to some worthless fellow, forth
! VITA lie went Oft to a shyster, and the two
hunted together neck and neck for the plum
der. This journal was subject to 2 number
Of such suits We maintained st that time
/ thai al honorable man could alway5 have
/ SIT .Iactory redress from any journal which
~ - conducted on honorable principals, with
out 1esorting to 4 lble suit. We have always
| maintained this ground. IN time there was
sucl q reaction of the public sentiment that
! la@ was enacted requiring plaintiffs in libel
suits 10 give bonds in the SUM Of five hundred
dollars Tor the costs This enactment has
served to keep down d considerable number OF
! vexatious libel suits, while no real in Justice
has apparently been done to other parties.
The most discouraging fact just now is that
part of the press, and especially the defend
! ant at Placerville, have been doing their
utmost to put lying on q respectable basis
Like counterfeit coin it is passed off for some
thing genuine. This lying is a substitute for
enterprse-''spicy and bold is, an
inexhaustiblc fund OF fasehoods ready on all
occasions. If the courts will not convict
when 4 libel case is made out, Of course the
guilty parties interpret such as a failure of
Justice, as unlimited license to assail
character with any amount of ingenious pre-
version of truth. Now, parties who are thus
assaulted ought to be just as certain of redress
through the courts as if it were an action
brought in civil case which had been fully
made out. Win any one affirm that there is
any such certainty! Is it not well established
that if an honorable citizen, being grossly
asSailed were 10 bring libel today against
any of that class Of newspapers, which
believe that lie we'll told is rs good as the
truth-the chances of obtaining redress would
be against him. The newspaper which is
honorably conducted will correct mistakes
will right wrongs unwittingy committed, so
that Just and reasonable man will have no
occasion to resort to the courts. But if COM
PEELED to so there against an uncOnsciOnsble
press, is it not scandal Of the times that
he has SO little chance for justicel The case
is tried out of court, and the parties are
bounded until it is difficult TO tell who is
really on trial.
In the long run, no newspaper can be /
placed on prosperous foundation which does
not hold that truth is better than falsehood /.
Good character IS as valuable in a newspaper
as anywhere else. The smart young hoodlum .
who gets hold of types laughs at the old fogies .
of the press who believes that il is still res
peotacle to tell the truth, and to correct errors
of fact or inference, if they have been made /
But there comes a time when hoOdlum tactics
in the management OF a newspaper have /
thin and watery look. There is no solid
basis OF character Ingenious falsehoods pay
no permanent dividends.
These comments are truthful, no doubt, as
far as they go. They have reference, how
ever, to very limited part of the questions
involved. The thing illustrated IS just what
~ss illustrated, in much more important
and conspicuous WAY, by the Electoral Com
mission which made Rutherford 3. Hayes
the President Of this Eerubiic--i e.. every
man votes his politics, The De Youngs are
lnG9r a contract to b7smirch the character Of
he most influential men Of the ReDublicar
party Of California. They are retained and
ICED by certain aspiring Democrats. So,
heir conviction was not to BE- permitted A
political necessity demanded that these con
,cienceless bIacknalers and professional de-
alners be not convicted. They are no mere t
o be punished for Safeguarding Sargent and
Page than if they had been hired to take the
tump in behalf Of tn Democracy. What is
h0wn further IA IL: political lying is regard
ID as 4 legitimate means Of assault ANY
hing thai can be put upon political oppo- 4
lent, whether it be true or false, may, with {
be laid at his door Also, the means
oweyer atrocious, are not to be questioned. !
, lie manufactured by u rogue, like Pinney, t
as legitimate 4 missile as paragraph by i
he Chronicle. Politics is war; and there d
re no limitations to the means to be used,
tiensive and defensive. This is lament /,
bly, low and degrading state Of affairs; but it Il
only too evident. And now, as to Pinney; +
e do not doubt he will go clear. 1t seems "
, be part Of the programme devised by the d
ackers of the Chronicle that their associate a
belor shall not be plagued by serious results. )
he price Of his freedom is his ingenious, =
finely elaborated lies against the
o-called Federal Ring. Their excuse for