The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-14
CONGRESS- AS A CENSOR.
,,v LOTTERY ADVERTISEMENT
BILL, IN THE WHEEL.

a. cummings Makes the Point That
.ua Legislators Have as Much Right
=. D;ctate Concerning Editorials as
Anout Paid Matter-Dougherty on
nangerous Ground.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.-The House to-day
'.oodod TO the consideration of bills relat-
~ n tbe District of Columbia.
~ The first bill called up was the one pun
hing the advertising of lottery tickets in
-. n;strict of Columbia. 1t was opposed
W. Mr. Rogers, of Arkansas, upon constitu-
+onal grounds. "The bill would be said,
.orevent any paper, no matter where pub
rsbed. from coming into the District, and
wonId infringe the liberty of the press"
Mr. Hemphill, of South Carolina, did not
.rrae that the provisions of the bill applied
IN snv paper published outside of the Dis
.rict but admitted that that was question
mon which the best lawyers might differ
NJ Compton declared that he was not an
.d1-ocat Re Of lotteries, but he did not believe
tSat souls could be sent to heaven by COM
.uisorv legislation. Society could only be
TTsgenerated by principles lnculcated by
Christian mothers.
WANTS THE WHOLE HOG.
M. Browne. of Indiana, said that, ac-
cord,np to his Interpretation of the bill, its
nrovisions applied as much to papers pub
fisbed in MARYLAND or New York circulating
in the District of Columbia as to papers
nnblished in the District But, with that
lnternretation. he indorsed the bill fully
and without reservation.
Mr. Grain. of Texas, took issue with the
srcun1ent that every scheme of chance was
naeessarily a crime. He did not believe
that a lottery which was authorized by the
organic law of a State Of the Union be-
longed to the category of crime.
Mr.. Cummings, of New York, looking at
the bill, not as lawyer, but as
a man who pretended to have a modicum
Of common sense, thought that there was
too much law in it. In trying to correct an
admitted evil the house was opening the
doors to a greater evil The bill appeared to
contain some of the ashes of the old alien
and sedition laws.
INTERFERED WITH PERSONAL LIBERTY.
Those laws not only interfered with the
liberty of the press. but also interfered-
as the pending bill did-with the liberty of
the person. Nor was this the first time
that those ashes had been stirred up by
Congress. They had been stirred up under
the administration of President Grant,
When the United States Senate had passed
abill to abridge the freedom of the press.
Under the provisions of that bill the
editor of the most obscure newspaper in the
most obscure corner of the most obscure
State could be dragged to the District Of
Columbia and subjected to fine and impris-
opment by petty local tribunals. There
was the same seen in this bill. 1t not only
rampled on the freedom of the press and of
The person, but it trampled on the rights of
the States The bill was clear in its pro-
Wis ons 1t applied undoubtedly to papers
published outside but circulating in the
District of Columbia.
CONGRESS TO BECOME A CENSOR.
II Congress had right to prescribe what
| should be printed in the advertisement col
umns of a newspaper it had the right to
exercise censorship over the editorial and
news columns. Congress was then to exer-
else editorial supervision over the entire
press Who was to be editor-in-chief'
The distinguished gentleman at the
other end Of the avenue2 Who
was to b. city editor? Was it
to be the Speaker of the Housea Who were
IN be reporters9 The chairnen of commit
eesl WhJs was the editorial supervision
to end7 The House was playing with fire.
| Il had better bl9w out the match and avoid
a confagration.
Mr.. Oates, of Alabama. thought the bill
applied only to papers published in the
district and on this ground opposed it, as
creating an unjust discrimination.
MR. DoUGHERTY's VIEWS.
Mr. Dougherty, of Florida, opposed the
measure for similar reason. If Congress
could establish a censorship of the press,
which would prevent reporters lying about
public men and private indi -;duals, he, for
one, would certainly vote to do 80, because
he had never seen anything so offensive to
the sense of public morality in any lottery
advertisement as he had seen in the ex-
pressed opinions of newspaper reporters
published as facts. If Congress could pass
a bill which would require editors and re-
porters TO confine themselves to statement
Of facts, instead Of publishing their indi-
vldual opinions as facts, it would rebound
to the good and welfare of all the people
Nr. Latham, of North Carolina, while
expressing his bitter hostility to lotteries,
denied the power of Congress to enact leg.
islation to diffuse morality among the
human race.
On motion of Mr.. Grain the bill was re-
lerred to the Committee on Judiciary. The
vote was III yeas to 1I5 nays.