The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-02-02
SUPPRESSION OF NEWS.

OF late a Dl 4rked t ndency has
developed ia l. u,siana and aHjoih-
lug States 10 retutD, in eases In
aich there has been crime, /" Tue
ante belium and even more recent
custom OF suDpressing and hushll'g
IN .he news. R.eders of the Times
Democrat will recall several in
stauces within the last few weeks
of such ill-timed and meaningless
attempts at concealing facts, when
the publication OF them was de-
manded in the interest OF the prop
er administration of Justice.
The assassination OF Capt. Prince,
of Carrollton, Miss, on Jan. IL was
case in point. Although the ruf,
fl 4nly act which ultimately robbed
the respected gentleman OF his HE
was committed ss far back as Friday
week, and although the facts In
connection with the diabolical deed
Gus ht most undoubtedly to nave
been communicated at once to the
police. with view to the appce
hensiou Of he ASSASSIN or a-sasslhs
and the bringing OF him or them TO
Justice. the persons most immedIs
atelv concerned thought proper to
hide the matter and to suppress
everything in connection VITA Ii
for whole week, until, in tact, the
wounded man had died and con-
oealment was no longer ptsslbie.
To prevent fAmily scandal, or to
save the bringing Of an honored
family and family name into pub
lie talk, the responsible persons dld
not hesitate TO subordinate the pub
lie interest to private advantage.
Such course of concealment Ia
not only unjust to the community,
but it brings no private advantage.
che administration of justice Is III.
jured grieyously by it, and any
thing that either defeats or th~alts
the administration of justice, as
such conc ealment undoubtedly
does, is Of much detriment to
the public welfare. Nor has it the
excuse that 1. saves those who are
implicated in 1t. For the facts IN
variably ooze out through the
screen of silence, however thick,
and matters then become ugller and
worse for those responsible for the
concealment, through mlsrepre
sentation and exaggeratlon, than If
they had been correctly published
to begin with.
1t is wrong and stupidity, is
this suppression of news, and the
sooner the practice is abandoned
the better it will be for al interests
concerned. both public and private.
--Tiues"Democrat, 23d ult.
We agree, in the main, with the
above sentiments of the Times
Dem ocrat, but exceptions should
be made to the general rule In
stances of crime have occurred,
where the immediate publication of
the same would tend to defeat the
ends Of justice. Bnt all crimes
should at once be reported to the
proper authorities, who should have
the right to use such information as
they deem best in the interest of
Justice. Justice should be the chief
end in view, and not the gratifica-
ton Of the pubhc's appetite for the
sensational.
Neither can we see what good
can be accomp'is he'd by the publ
cation Of every acs OF hOOdlumism,
such as drunk and down. a knock
down, etc., etc. If all officials and
good citizens in any community
perform their duty, acts Of this
description would speedily become
unknown. And, again: Why should
newspapers apply the red hot iron
of publicity to every private family
jar that may occur9 Is it done in
The interest of some good to be &C.
complishedi Nc; but rather TO
furnish a nine days morsel of
scandal for the gossips to roll be-
meath their veDom.tipped tongues.
Some village papers publish every
trial had before the Mayor and
Justice Of the Peace, from a fight
over a nickel, or bucket of slop,
up. The soid village may be one of
the most desirable spots to be
found IN the state fol- residence;
but Judging from such a hash of
news, the outside world is lead to
supp 3se that pandemonium reigns
in that particular community. If
village papers of such cLars cter
run short of the sensational, it is