Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-04-23
THE CKosBY-HARRIsoN LIBEL SUIT

THE cRosBY-HARRIsoN LIBEL SUIT.
Almost every newspaper In the
country has had q whsck at the Crosby
Harrison affair, and now we propose
TO rise. This is u rise that the coun-
try has doubtlessly been anxiously
anticipating for some time ard it is
with a deep consciousness Of this fact
that we now undertake the task of ce-
menting into q compact mass so far as
this affair il concerned, that peculiarly
ductile substance called public opin-
ion.
In the first place, we are 10.
clined to believe that the main purport
of this move on the part of the plain.
tiff is 10 secure a cheap notorlety; a
thing for which shallow minds strive
with great eagerness and energy. II
this IL not true, why didn't Mister Elk.
Governor Schuyler Crosby bring his
suit some three years ago, at the time
when the alleged libel appeared In the
Montana paper, instead of waiting un-
I'll Harrison had become the son of the
President and 4 suit of that character
brought against him would create q
stir? Doesn't IL show on its face
that but for the accident of BENJAMIN
Harrison becoming President, this suit
would never have been brought?
Why didn't he bring his suit in Mon
tans, the locus in quo of the offense,
instead OF flaring 1t forth In the face
of the whole country through the
agency Of a New York city court? The
circulation which the Live Stock
Journal has in New York probably
amounts or amounted at that time, to
ten papers. OF these probably 10 ger
cent were carefully read and but twice
the number read at all. The conse-
quent damage which the libelous re-
marks made by the live stock paper in
addition to those of the authority
from which IT cut the clipping, occa-
stoned to Crosby In New York was
therefore insignificant.
IL he 10 seeking for q money
recompense for damage done, why
was he willing 10 call matters square
upon the receipt Of q personal
apology from Harrison? Nothing
al rectify a substantial injury
but the receipt Of a sum of none
commensurate TO the extent OF such
material injury. Then II he be sin
cere In his suit aud claim for money for
actual injury done, why does he bring
suit for such an exorbitsnt and sensa-
tionsl a sum as $780, Any fool
knows that however great a man Mr..
Schuyler Crosby might be, he wouldn't
have suffered $1,000 0 worth of per-
sonal damage by anything that a
newspaper could say about him; this
being go with any newspaper, how
much more Insignificant must the
damage be when the offending sheet
u a little weekly published away out
in the middle of the Rocky noun
tains and whose entire circulation al
the time of the publication referred TO
did not probably number 1900. Any
fool would know that no jury which
Crosby could empanel would award
him in damages anything like the
sum sued for. This, and the additional
fact that Mr.. Crosby doubtlessly we'll
knows that he would never be able TO
execute a judgment for one-tenth Of
the amount sued for against Mr.. Har-
rison, all shows too plainly that this
suit was brought for other objects
and with other purposes in view than
for the securement Of an honest assess.
meDt Of the actual amount of damage
done to the plaintiffs character and
for securing an award of judgment for
the sum so found.
II this Is not 80, why il ii that
Mr.. Crosby doesn't also make
Col. ]. ID. MoCutcheon g party to
the suit? McCutcheon was Har-
rison's counsellor at the time, and
The proof in the possession Of Crosby
duplicating Harrison brings Nc
Cutcbeon ss deeply into the ofIense as
Harrison is; IL In point Of fact makes
McCutcheon the libeler (for he IL ale
legged TO have written the a%rticle) aud
Harrison only responsible for further
disseminating that libel through the
agency OF bis paper. The whole move
Of Crosby shows that his object in
bringing and prosecuting this suit,
IL to vindictively embarrass Har-
vison In that he happens 10 be
q son OF the President.
Knowing the purposes, (as he could
not help have KNOWN, for which this
suit was brought, Mr.. Harrison's
course should have been different. 1t
was unwlse to have suffered such n
suit TO have been brought, not partic-