Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-11-12
The LIBEL LAW.

| reform on the law mskerB OF Texas, 81
article from the New York Herald ia here
reproduced as food for thought on the
! part of our solous: "E gh'esn months
ago correspondent Of the Butfslo Com
merciel Advertiser sent that journal q
paragraph accusing Colonel Schuyler
Crosby, not by name, but by description
which pointed enthusiastically az him, of 8
crime. Our Buf3slo contemporary print
ed what its corrs epondent sent IL,
and thereupon Colonel Crosby brought
ls hbsi suit sgsiUst the pa
per. The other day or con-
temporary made Gn explicit retrsctiop
and apology, in which 1t declared that,
FIRST, it did not know when It printed Its
correspondence paragraph to whom it
referred; second, it had since investi-
gated the charge made and found that the
story WIS without foundation IN fact;
third 1t had dismissed from It's service
the author OF tae false story.
ave regret shat Colonel Crosby should
have found IL necessary TO begin 3 libel
suit. We regret ihSt the Bufllo Conn
meYc!Gl Advertiser, Though the careless
regs CT correspondent Snd Of its news
editor, hes had to apologize and retract.
"BuE We use tho OCCASION to say some,
thing on the subisct OF libel suits against
newspapers. II She present casa by our
coRtsnporary'g cwR' confession, there
was Urjustif4ble csrelsssness, which
It ass tried TO max smssds for By It's
apology. Bat every newspaper In
the country switch -is, as the cant
phrase soasTT.r worth = libel s1i',' knows
by long experience thai as tke laws now
stand il mort Of the STATES, no HfstteT
how carefully Journal is edited, IL will
have libel salts brought against it. The
Herald tries It's hess-to draw the Inns be-
tween exposure Of the public wrongs,
which is the hishesl duty OF newspaper,
and attSck5 Oh private character, which
ere iaexcusRble; and Jet there b no yeLr
in which va IRE not threatened vita ter
OF dozen libel suits. There is class Of
'Ghys!er' lawyers VIC mako it their
business to sAnoY respectable Newspapers
in this way. They read the journals, and
whore they imsglne suit for libel will
lie they ral to the person concerned. mag
nifty his wrong and urge 6 salt, oEsriag 10
proEeeEte il for shsFe OF the sl2edsT.
OF coarse IN the great msi 1rity Of cssaS
sEch quits ecns TO nothing. Taey have
ns iastifyi0g cause. Bal the shysrer Law
yer gets sone money ous Of his client, he
anHDyg the newspapers, sDd he makes his
living.
ola oar opinion tae ls1 Ct libel against
newspapers, SIS it now stands in mos: Of
the states, is mistake. 1t ought to be
nade stronger. L ofars ROW constant
Inducements 30 the clsss Of petSiiogg!ns
Is 7Jers 70 ing vexa!ious aud uniustt-
fsolo sEtts for money dausgas. It ii the
zoatF theg want, and tne suits taey per.
shade shsir clI2zss 70 bring are nerely
6ps9alsEiFS.
"VFa should ike to see tGs lsv changed
and ns3s more severe. A newspaper is
a s7o2s power which ogght to be ssed
VIE tae u,no5s Gaze. I.it ID mIsused 70
s5t-ck or@vaCs cssrsctor a'noroy hua is
cat fH&eisS. FsEiSRmeEs, especially SIS
szcG'ta.:s row eo-pEg oR snd carries
Ersm svEE; to soart Ensil, il the oSazss is
TsaI, ths Rza ID oslJ leVise after yssrs
enG vAsn the person irj 1rs2 ssy BE- in
his sckvs, o. Hsy Asgs forgotten or Isag
aHtliVsa chs iEjuFy dose.
ga libel sxis against ssWspaper oxEks
10 PC criminal ruIt, brought against sfst
perzoz IA tks paFsr whose wiCksdRsSR or
csreleFsEsss VIZ EEst the irjaEy, bs ks
certsEpozdsHs, Rsws editor, reporter,
edf2cIlsl wrissT OF whssVsr EBAY have ssqE
the eBseiiTa 'sltsrsr' CT the ofanse, and
the puIigazens Should Sc not aas, sRa
Imprisonment.
"SEoI s change in TIE lsw would work
grsas coed 10 tbs v!sss. Nd proprietor
of great i7Erzs! csR Is thcss dSyG exsm
ips evg!y sEslCls waieA goes into the
colaEa Of his paper. However sxxious
asd careful hs xsy DC, tht tAisg ia ia
pssFisie. rs gives g:rict instructions so
kIs azssts and eEboTa!pstes; ia Eost
eaRsa-se EMPLOYS G coapst.Rt lawyer, 70
wsops 81 article mSY &c referred il s.srs>
Ia IDEAS, SIS to i:s chETso&e7. Rss il spite
OF evsFX praczs!ioS, tina seedlessnssS OF
tAe. saifs oikoua OF his sssa:s mt7 sry
tSs'esssa the P8ollcstioa Of some zach
vUjsstihaole attack on psraoua! character
as that for which the Buffalo Commercial
Adv riser has jas. spoiogiz1d.
"Suc2 & chsngs n the lsW SO We sug-
gess would msk3 Su concerned uths pre-
psratjon OF daily newspaper more care
isl, because i. would make every man
responsible for his o1d acts II would
put & very desirable curb Gu the growing
propensity IN the press 70 give great space
to empty snd nsuseous personal gossip,
and lead the press back to its true office,
the report and discussion of public af>