National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-26
Secret "AdyertiSing."

The Post yesterday had the following:
"a suit for divorce was entered yesterday by Or
will D. Thatcher, clerk in the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing living at 1926 Pennsyl-
Yania avenue, against Adelaide Fl. Thatcher.
One of the causes alleged is known to be
deSertlon, but this is supposed to be only q
small and unimpOrtant part of those brought,
as the bill was hurriedly Withdrawn as soon as
filed to avoid its contents being inspected An
order of publication was also obtained allowing
the plaintiff to take decree pro cOafcSSB against
his absent wife after the pHbicatiouNof an adver-
dsement in a law journal published in this city
with a limited circulation exclusively among law
yerS.
What our neighbor says about the divorce busi-
ness will apply with equal force to the settlement
Of estates sales of property, the discharge of trusts
or indeed to any matter before District courts
in regard to which the public, and particularly
those in interest have right to prompt
and full information, but which eyil-de-
signing persons desire to have kept
secret. To compel the publication of a
public or legal notice in the periodical referred to
may be compliance with the word of the law, but
it is clearly gross disregard, if it is not in fact
plain violation of its spirit So far serving the
purposes of public notification is concerned, an
advertisement might as well be locked up in the
vaults of safe deposit company as inserted in its
columns
Whether so intended or not, the course pursued
by the District court in this matter has precisely
the effect of preventing instead of insuring pub
lciy to matters affecting the interests of many in
dividuals and some times the rights of the whole
community. A rule adopted by it on the 10th day
Of May, 1876 reads as follows:
I" Rule 121. Hereafter all notices which relate to
proceedings in the Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia. the publication of which is required by
law or by rules of court shall be published in
the Washington LdlC Reporter, during the time re-
qured by law, in addition TO any other papers 2Uhich
ady be specially ordered or nnhch may>be selected By
the parties"
Under this rule evil designing persons are as we
have said, able to carry out almost any purpose
they may desire, so far as being able to work in
the dark may aid them. But the evil does not
stop here. The rule affects unfavorabiy per-
sons disposed to give all publicity possible to
their proceedings by imposing an unnecessary,
arbitrary, and, as we believe, an Illegal
expense upon them. By requiring the publication
of all legal notices in this obscure weekly journal
at price greater than would be charged for
the same service by the daily papers of the city,
with from ten to sixty times its circulation proper
intending persons are prevented, on account
of the increased cost thus imposed, from Civ
ing that publicity to their notices which both
their sense of fair dealing and their own interests
would prompt. Hence, as any one can see, the IA
voritism which supports this sickly bantling for
the convenience of few members of the bar is
always an onerous tax, and often amounts prac-
ically to denial Justice to one side or the other
in cases pending. ........
Just such publication as this, and for the same
purposes. Was established and supported in New
York by the Tweed regime during its palmiest
and most corrupt days, and the abuses grow
ing out of its enforced support were among
the most outrageous and scandalous of those
scandalous times That similar imposition upon
this community should be in any wise encour-
aged by any branch of government in the District
Of Columbia is as surprising as it is monstrous--
Ereniag Star.
A law of Congresshas just been enacted
requiring
That all advertising required by existing laws to
be done in the District of Columbia by any of the
Departments of the Government shall be given to
one daily and one weekly newspaper OF each of
the two principal political parties, and to one
daily and one weekly neutral newspaper.
As the Supreme Court of the District
is part of the Judiciary Department of the
Government, it is but just to presume
that it Will at once comply with the re-
quirements of the new law, and thus OBJ
viate the necessity of further attention
in the line of the above criticism.