The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-02-14
A LIBEL

It was in Il spirit Of levity that
senator stated iii his lace the other
day that YEN could huy any IF the
county NtperS of Minnesota for $0la.
Hlt It ttralputs like this, no matter
hnw harmIeSaly intentlnned, are too
GROSSLY untrue anil too we'll calculated
t. produce upon the pE''lic mind IN
inrypsSian ~ newspaper Venality to
10 lass anrhl'lengeA. Whether 1t he
ne XSnap.,r or man or wNlnan that is
subject of discussion. 1t passes the
rns,,ds Of Jest when the point OF hon.
on is v;i~eh. And, although nothing
more may have hten intended than
one Of those lively sallieS which en-
terrain hy their very extravaganza, 1t
is one IF those things which oAtuSe'
people may take for reality. II any
newspartr Of tie state had affirmed,
even in its column of what the wits
are saying, thrt this Legislature is in
Jiviiu&lly uInt collectively corrupt,
AID that any senator or representative
could he bought outright for 800, ii
woulA have been brUUgl4t before the
h;,r of pu.lic judgement. Yet that
statement woUd he no more entirely
and pAlpahIy false thta similar re-
t!yctiun upon the character OF TIE
country press.
We have No douh; that there are
vcnal newspapers i'll Minnesota It's
,l3e~hrre. We have no doubt that
thpre are venal legislators, whose
votes are at the command of anybody
with money to spare; that there are
grucels WHO put sand in their sugar,
ana lawyers who take fees in aid of
protecting crime, AMI clcrgymen
whose private Ii ses will not bear in
srectiOn. Bt;t nuEe except those who
still liugeG in the atmosphere of in
tv!lactu:l and moral childhood, whose
NtXations are serious, whose Judge
lneuts swearing aud whose resent
neltS ,@tSs jonate, ever cOnfOund the
IUic with the exception, or charge
HIRn Tie frailtipS of the individual.
Il needs not that We should come to
the rescrC Of journalism, even III its
most aefenselvsS estate. The people
Lave weigIe cd and measured it. They
know that BOW here, certainly not in
i.ulitirS, can be found So large a pro-
portion Of men eueag d in any occu-
7saiiun who labor dinIntPreSt edly for
4he ruil'c good. Nho v ield the power
entrusted to them with hand so free
fTom the iGch of corruption, and
srend s0 literally of life itself for the
promotion of public purposes by
Which they themselves shall profit
nothing. Only in medicine where
the highest labor tends 10 decrease
the need Of the physician, is there Il
parallel to The editors work. 1t is
conn on enough and dlscreditable
enough 10 those guilty of it, TO lmpute
10 the journalist unworthy motive:
We have had an epidemic of that sort
of thing in tho politics of this state
lately. But. ,uan for man, through
country and city. we are ready to set
the journalist side hy side with any
rtl er class Of men, and try them by
an equal test. Minnesota has no
reason to blush fer her country press.
She will do well 10 remember that nc
newspaper within her borders has
ever been guilty Of a grosser lIbel
Than the inscription OF inscriptions
ness to the press by the Ignorant and
tIre careless. Press.
When the above was put i'll type we
DID not know The author of the 'r8SF
break that led to the writing of-thif
very able and unanswerable editorial
and we regret to have learned since
that it was our own dear senator, D
w. Hixon. Judging from the willing
ness with which he frequently, pub
hcly and privately has made state
nlents to the same effect one Nigh
be led to believe that he knows some
thiuS whereof he speaks. But does
he? If he does it hardly relieves hin
Of TIE odium justly attached to hi
name us the author of such an unwar
ranted end libelous statement. 1t il
no less dishonorable to wilfully am
malciously attempt to reflect diScredl
upon an honorable calling for TIL
shortcomings of the few than it is t.
give professional secrets away
Hixon's newspaper friends vii
have to muzzIe him iTbe continues Il
q this way,