, 1880-01-19
TIE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: MONDAY. JANUARY 49, 1884,

-tlDDNEs m\J1NDA L.. 11A4s
under ccrtatr conditions, hnt, alnet, The tee-
Efai,Ei service has pN5sct irlto Tho ltnnt1s IT
tho Government, this rule has been reversed
Telegraph dispatches nrc NOW l'ef.! to bH 's
!ny!otabc rs letters III tho mails. The Sit
ure,ne Court Of tho untte,l States lias III or |
7H.rto .jacktoti thus affirmed tho sntlctEty of
shs, mails:
"fslters and Rcalc1 packages In tho n,n'l nro |
M fully Rlnr11ctl fru1n examination htll i'Arec'
to, except ~ to thor nutwnrtl form and weight,
ns II t1loy wcro rethlnc.! hy tho pnrtt's tnrwfsi-
i,y tlcn, In their nwn ,1ona!lrs Tho cot'stltu-
tl0nn gara,,tce IF tho right af tho ctple 10 ln
accsiru III thoir lN,pors hEnlt'st 'lnrrHsofihhle
scutphes mud solzurrs extends to thets parets
thus olosct aEninet inspection, anu wherever
thoy lnny he. Whilst In tho l1.tl! they cafi Mlly
hu t)tet,cd anti examined nlltlcr !ko watrn''t
Issued npnn Bltnilnr path or affirmation, !rtcal-
lnrly describing tho Thing to ,m sezcs1. nj is re-
quircd when rnpers nry subjected to Hrhtch Ill
uncs uwn household. No Inv Of Congress- cAn
place III tho hands Of nIctnta connected With tho
postal service my authority to tnrnde tho
srcrcoy of letters and a,lah seftctl rncknRos lit
tho ,nnil and MI regulations ndoptctl ~ to tnhIt
mntter must be tn sutWrdtnation to tho grent
principle ctnbotllcd In tho fourth amendment to
tho Conatitution.'
From Il reviuw OF tho. authorities Gen.
Thompson reached the conclusion "tfat
subpoena calling for dispatches In general
terms, passing between Individuals between
two given periods Of time, without any
showing, by way of affidavit or otherwise,
that tic evidence, II produced, wol'ld bo
| competent nr materln1, is In violation of tile
| fourth amendment to the Constitution Of
| tho United Stntcs, aud cannot bo cnforccd."
| Tie argument is enforced by several 0u0ta-
tlons from recent writings by judge Coolcy
md others. 4 few Of these aro III follows:
From Judge Cooley:
"We mttst maintain tho opinion, nufwltsl-
standing tho decision Of 70 ointment tribunal.
| TINT tic public nrp not entitled tn a mans
prlvnte correspondence, whether ot,taEnn1(o by
Bctzlng II III tho naiA or by compelling tue or-
erntor Of tho Telegraph to testify to It, Or by rc-
aring his servants tu takc frutn l,ia desks l,,s
1lrisntn icttcts and joutnus mid bring tlun, Into
cn,ltt on subpoena d,ittH tceHn,. And alicl coh1-
pu1sory process to ohtntn 1t wnl,fd be nothing
short ut most ArbitrAry md unJl,sihal'lc sutz-
| ,tr0 OF private pap0rs,-sl,tli Rn 'unrnnsn1lnflt
Heizuro us In directly condemned by tho Enistl-
tuition. In England tho Secretary nf state sa,no-
times Issues t1s warrant for opening Il rnrttct.-
3Gr letter. whore he Ia possessed OF such fHttA as
ffn In satisfied would tuatify him with tho pEt-
lic, tult no American ofseHr or body pDsscsBca
s,tuh authority, and Its usurpaion shotlldnot bu
tolerated" ..
From a very ahlc paper by Mr.. Hitchcock,
OF st. Louis, on this seizure Of tclcgtaphlc
dispatches for examination rs 10 wllat thoy
contain, lie cites tho following strong but
Just statements:
"TIshtng for oytlonco on suspicion, Without
proof. Is tho very counterpart OF q search. war.
rlnt n1,tntncd to hunt for Kools not cv0n nllcEe1
to hnyo boon stolen, and without amy Of tho pre-
requisites which the Constitution exaots ever
from criminal tusticc.'
And, In reference to tho danger of oxorcls
Ing such power, lie says:
J sTho function Of Il Court to determine
} whether ovidonco proposed to bo offered Ia I'D
1nsaIblo Is something completely different frotr
This nttcBcd right to order tho private papers n
Il third person to be scarchptl nr produced III Or
der tint tho Calrt, by Inspecting them, t,,ny do
ternino whothor they contn!n a'lmiss!hlc evi
| lenuo Tho ono IN 4 judicial duty; tho other i
nn inqutsItoria1 md irresponsible rtywcr, nlwny
l[ablo to lniiIct grnvo md un1ustlflablo injnr.
> on thir1l parties. No such right catt belong to
CURT without at least p,fHa jtcfo proof thnt th
pnpcts cnci for, being always particularly dc
scrlbc,l, arc competent nnd rolovnnt; for 1t /
precisely on TINT assumption TINT tho right Il
compel thoEr production In MD Of tho alHtinB
0 trutinn Of Justice doponds-"
0 The telegraph Inns become universal in II
+ 1lse III this country for all purposes TIN
0 tho nnil can be used for. 1ts messages ar
u entitled 10 nil tho snnSthy that Ia enjoyed |,
i the mails, and II thorG DC my defect In til
+ law, or If my additional Legislation is necde
s to give to telegrarhtc dispatches tho protet
Il tIon now guaranteed to all letters by mai
8 then Congress should ut once place the tw
Q services OH precisely tho same footing In thl
t. ,nrticuthr. The argument tl1ot they are