The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-08
The Freedom of Publication-A
Vital Issue.

Vital Issue.
We print in full, in an adjacent col
umn, the protest of the New York
Sun against the attempt to gag the
press OF New York in the matter OF
electrical executions. As a paper
published in another State, the a
ter is not directly our concern; but it
Is broadly the concern not only OF
every newspaper, but of every citizen
that the liberty of the press should be
untrammelled In this very matter of
the killing of citizens by the State
more than in any other thing. We
should hold ourselves recreant to
principle and duty, to the fundamen-
tai principles on which the Constitu-
ton OF our country is founded. and
to the highest duties of citizenship If
we failed to contribute such moral
support as we may to the Sun and
press of New York generally in this
vital conflict which is forced upon
them.
The difficulty in struggles such as
this is that thousands OF unthinking
persons view it unconcerned, or r
even swayed in the wrong direction
by considerations of weak sentimen-
tally. They do not or will not per-
ceive that their own most essential
interests. their personal safety. is in
volved in the issue. They cannot or
will not see that from the roasting of
Smiler and Slocum and the rest, there
is only a short step to the mysterious
horrors of the Star Chamber and the
Tower, to the dungeons of the Inqui-
sition. or the vaults of the Bastile.
1t is In aggressions on popular liberty
such as the present hat outrages
such as disgraced the rule of Barrios
in Guatemala have their origin. and
the cruelties of Balmaceda which are
now delugfng Chill with blood are the
logical result of a d%ietatoriai system
which muzzles the press and prevents
it from proclaiming to all civilized
people the manner in which the State
deals with its citizens.
The spectacle of men armed with
rifles against peaceful unarmed Ameri-
can citizens is indeed a hideous one.
When its purpose is to prevent the
great public, who are truly the State,
from learning how their servants
put four citizens to death, how
much more monstrous does the act
appear Yet this is the spectacle
that Sing Sing prison presented for
three days.
And here is the proof of the speed
with which the reckless disregard of
law and right extends under the
stimulus of I'm outrageous enact
ment There is nothing in the law
of New York which requires the War
den of the prison who has the execu-
tions in charge to surround them with
any precautions to prevent the spread
of information. The statute assumes
to forbid the newspapers to publish
reports, and that is all. There is no
other injunction as to secrecy.
The armed guard is established
without the slightest color of
law or right. And yet this priv
ate soldiery of a mere prison
keeper drove peaceful citizens not
only of the prison lands. but
of the public roads and even from
private property. In INT case it drove
men from a private building which
they had hired.
Could any better proof be wanting
of the dangers of such a system?
Could anything more clearly display
the endless vistas of abuse and out
rage which it opens up in the possible
future2
We join with the Sun and the New
York papers in the demand that this
law be repealed. We join with
them in calling upon the news
papers of the entire country
and upon all citizens without distine-
ton Of party to protest against this
violation of the Constitution and of
the liberties OF the country. Not only
should the statute be repealed. but
the agitation should never rest until
the principle of publicity through the
press was distinctly recognized in a
mandatory law providing for press
representation at all executions.
VIZ do not care to weaken the great
issue Of free publication by compli-
eating it with other notions; but we
cannot refrain from expressing our
opinion of the whole system of cleo
trical execution as on obscene bur
Iesque on civilization 1t is one
of those refinements which are indie
alive OF effete and morbid develop
mcnt-
And those horrible scientific hang
men. bustliuC about the wretched