Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-01
Mr. Oates denies the newspaper interview in

Mr.. Oates denies the newspaper interview in
which he is represented disclaiming the
intention of furnishing ridicule or attempted
or threatened ridicule Matchmaking in the
District Of Columbia He expects the Senate
to pass his bill in the shape in which it slipped
through the House. This bill declares that any
person who within the District shall levy or at
tempt to levy blackmail on any other person
by making, threatening or attempting to make
any disclosure injurious to the character Of any
person, for the purpose of obtaining money or
othe- benefit or for he purpose Of ridicue or
reoeE9s shall be gully of misdemeanor," and
upon conviction shall be punished by fine and
imprisonment at hard labor. Blackmail as a
distinct offense involves the idea of extortion
an attempt to extort money or some
other benefit by some form of intimidation.
III the proposed measure was one simply for the
punishment Of Matchmaking without any at
tempt to define 1t beyond its usual meaning,
the legislation would be wholesome. But by
Its title the bill proposes to define as well as
furnish Matchmaking in the District, and il an
nounces two kinds of blackmailing, one the
recognized offense of making or
threatening an injurious disclosure
'for the purpose of obtaining money
or other benefit" the other the new offence of
making or threatening such disclosure for
the ''f0rpose of ridicule or revenge" the idea
OF extortiOu being excluded BY the recital in
the alternative of the two purposes which are
hold to constitute Matchmaking the rldiculing
purpose becomes sufficient, without the inten-
ton to extort If the bill merely punished
the levying blaekmal ',for the purpose
of ridicule or revenge the word
blackmai might carry with il the idea Of ex-
tortiOn which the essence of the offense else
where. but the bill undertakes to dsfine black
mail and separates distinctly the offense Of e1-
tortion and the offense of rldiculing disclos-
ure, and thus prevents the word blackmail
from carrying into the latter offense the re-
quirement of a purpose to extort money
or other benefit The natural effect of
the measure is to add a new and extraordinary
species of blackmail to the list of criminal Of
lenses. as far as the District is concerned. 1t
will be blackmail here, punishable by impris-
onment at hard labor, to make, threaten OF at
tempt any ridiculing and injurious disclosure
concerning another, though there is a complete
absence Of the ordinary Matchmaking purpose
to obtain money or some other benefit.
1t is blackmail whether the ridicule is
spoken, written or printed, whether the ridi-
culnB injurious disclosure Is true or false, de-
served or undeserved, for the public welfare
or to the public detriment. The offense has
nothing Of the nature of ordinary backmaiL
1t is rather an extension of the law of libel and
SANDER. infictinG upon ridiculing injurious
disclosures imprisonment at hard labor in
addition to a fine, and eliminating all
defenses based upon privilege and upon the
publication OF truth for justifiable ends The
measure In the respect criticised is monstrous.
absurd, Of piece with various obsolete or
obsoleseent criminal statutes of the England of
several centuries ago which are still nominally
in force in the District Under the guise of
Furnishing the infamous offense of blackmail-
ing and through unvlllinguess to strike out
a few words from his measure Mr.. Oates pro-
poses to immoTtalize himself by ENGRAVING
upon the District statutes 10th century legisla-
ton A blow is struck not merely at the liberty
of the press, but at the liberty of the in
diyiduaL IL the people of the District,
threatened with this enactment, wish to express
just ridicUle of the Legislative intelligence which
proposes and insists upon such measure, they
must hasten TO do so before the bill becomes
law for after that event Mr. Oates Will lock up
every man of them at hard labor for speaking
or printing the ridiculing truth concerning
him.