The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-05-17


% Il stands upon the statute hooks 81
many OF the states. l. but m enactment
legslizing blackmail. Suits have been
begun in Indiana and other states by
parties who had no just cause for COM
plant, and who were in no way injured
BY personal or indirect publication.
Errors OF the types will drop Into print
in spite OF all the great care that i usual
" usei by the editor, la some such
cases men have felt sggrieved by what
was printed. Instead ~ asking = proper
and full retraction. they seek some shys-
ter lawyer or law hrm aud through him
or them demand money PREPARATION from
the journal There i no escape for the
paper. II must consent to be black mail
ed by shysters or stand trial under q law
that IL in itself a sure means OF convic-
ton, no matter what NAV be the mitiga-
ing circumstances. In many cases state
legislatures, realizing the apparent In
justice OF law that IL completely against
abe prosecuted paper and always favor
able TO prosecutor, are taking aud have
taken steps TO alter II. Such action
should become general throughout the
country, and Indiana is as much in need
union. Nine-tenths OF the libel suits
begun against newspapers are bIackmaiI-
ing schemes. and just one-tenth are based
on substantial grounds"
The above Is unqnesti0nably true, but
the editorial fraternity OF the State have
Themselves TO blame for permitting the
present statute on libel TO disgrace the
statute book. The late Ismented legis-
lature had bill for al act before II, TO
cure the practice Of shyster attorneys in
this class Of cases bringing suits for con-
tingent fees, bat il was referred TO the
judiciary committee of the House, COM
posed OF lawyers who did not have
enough OF a sense OF legal honor about
them to want to correct the evil. and
they reported upon itsdversely. Honor.
able attorneys, who have just pride In
their profession, and who scorn the
shyster practice. would be glad 10 see
the remedy applied. and should have
secured a favorable report, or open action
upon the bill in the House. But the
ohysters smOthered Ii.
Another bill, proposing to so amend
the libel law ~ TO provide, properly
guarded, three complete defeuses 10 M
action for libel, was presented for en-
dorsement 10 the executive committee
on legislation of the Indiana Editorial
Association, at indianapolis, while thr
Legislature was In session, and was
pocketed BY the Chairman ofthe Editorial
Committee, and nothing further heard
Of Il, although nearly all the editors
present acknowledged they had been
black-msiled, or compelled to pay large
costs, BY reason Of the present disgrace
full statute. The defenses provided for
were.
Lat Justification by Its truth.
I'd That the article complained Of was
published as an item Of news, believing
j to be true, without malice Of any kind.
end upon ordinary good authority, after
diligent effort to ascertain the facts.
81 That 10 the first publication of the
paper succeeding an ascertainment Of the
incorrectness of the article complained
o. aretraction Of, and honorable apology
for. the article complained Of was freely
published.
When editors will generally unite. and
demand that justice be done them, and
refuse 20 support any one for . legisls-
tive Office who will not agree TO II, OF
any party. or under any circumstances.
they will secure Q reform OF the present
law. But they must look after their
own Interests better than they did last
winter 10 secure II.