The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-21
A LIBEL SUIT.
innocence.

The Louisiana State Lottery Company, 9
gambling monopoly established by corrupt
Legislature in 1868, through It's attorneys
Messrs. r. j. Semmes and J. P. Hornor, have
instituted a libel suit for $4,000 against Mr.
Albert G. Janin, because of an editorial arti
Gle which appeared in the DEMOCRAT Of the
fifteenth instant. Mr. Janin is one of The
proprietors of the DEMOCRAT, and is liable
to the same extent that the Other
propretors of the paper are for what ap
pears in It's columns. But he is not the
editor of the paper, and cannot be called upon
or attacked personally or through the courts
for its editorials, unless his associates deter
mine to present his name as the responsible
party. They have not done this; they do
not propose to do so. The name OF the gen.
tleman personally responsible for the edito-
rial utterances Of the DEMOCRAT Is pub
lished at the head Of the paper as its
editor The names of It's proprietors are
| also published there daily, and they are all
alike responsible personally, pecuniarily and
In every other way for every line printed in
it's columns. 1t may therefore, appear, to the
casual reader, somewhat singular that How
ard and his attorneys have singled out Mr..
Jann to attack and sue for $4,000. The ex-
PLANTATION, however, is very simple. Mr..
Jann is very generally known as man OF
| means outside of his interest in the DEMO
Graf. The other proprietors Of the paper
| own only their interest in 1t, and the value Of
newspaper property is always, except to
its owners, a mystery.
Now the Lottery Company have two OBJ
m, in {Eo1 IT.,
partially, and, as far as possible, reimburse
themselves for the outlay this fight has forced
them to make-for the money they have paid
out in brides, attorneys fees, and for the en-
ployment of spies, courts, Cabinet officers
and witnesses. 2. To crush the DEMOCRAT,
the only paper that has ever had the courage
to attack their swindling monopoly.
Their suit, therefore, against Mr.. Janin
who Is not the responsible editor of the
DEMOCRAT is simply q scheme of robbery
The Lottery Company assumed that they
could not make S25,OOO out of the DEMOCRAT,
and like band of highway robbers; like
band of black mailers; like a gang Of thieves,
they counseled and consulted In their den,
and have sailed out to attack and plumber
the man amongst their opponents whom they
assume they can make the most money out
of. Then. IL these fellows obtain judgment
against Mr.. Janin, they assume they will &C
complsh both their objects. Certainly they can
make the money out Of him; they can easily
rob him to that extent If they can get jury
sufficiently Indifferent to decency to give
them verdict; and they understand that
the proprietors of the DEMOCRAT would, to
A.. NJ nn;r Fr;o Il
ciate. But when this gang of robbers assume
that they can thus crush the DEMOCRAT they
are counting without their host.
AS to the issue of the suit and its costs we
are unconcerned. We entertain absolutely no
apprehensions about it., and we invite MIR.
Howard and his companions to crack their
whip.
But though we entertain no apprehensions
as to the result of this robber suit, its institu-
ton indicates condition of society truly de-
plorable The Louisiana Lottery Company
was established by an act purchased from
corrupt Legislature; the subsequent acts
passed in its interest were purchased from
Legislatures equally corrupt 1t sustained the
Radical administrations when In power; 1t cor
rupted the judiciary, State and Federal, from
police to supreme courts; it went into our
legislature and by corrupt means combined
against the people in the interest of the bond
holders; it has become moral pestilence in
our midst; it is primary school for gam
bling it has taught servants to steal the
money of their employers; it has made swim
oilers and thieves of clerks; it has debauched
ministers Of the Gospel; like some vile,
pestiential and insidious disease, it has eaten
into and permeates our whole social and po-
ltical system. The Tweed ring in New York
was bad thing; but that touched and con-
taminated only the politics Of that metropolis;
it never invaded the social life of the city and
State. The lottery ring In New Orleans is
therefore infinitely worse 1t has corrupted
our politics; it has debauched our legisla-
lures; and in every street of the city and in
every town Of the State it has opened
its primary schools to tempt and teach people
to gamble. There has never been news
paper in this city, except the DEMOCRAT, that
it has not purchased and slenced; we doubt If
many men have ever run for an Office in this
city on either side since the organization OF
this company who did not stand in awe of It's
power, and who were not anxious to conciliate
its tremendous power. 1t is this institution
which the DEMOCRAT has attacked; and be-
cause we have dared to attack it, because we
refused its brides. insidiously offered under
the guise Of business, we are to be robbed
and plundered through the ingenuity of able
lawyers, and. If possible, through courts and
iuries, of $25,OoO. Must there not be social
decentralization when a corrupt gambling
I1-4 h,,o no Low
country and seeks to destroy the organ OF the
people?
We accept the challenge thrown down to us
in this suit. We have refused the insiduous
offers of this company; we have fought
it when the majority of the Legislature lay
helpless In its grip; sngle-handed and alone,
when the Times and Picayune were, as they
ara NOW its ahient willing and ohndiant taalc