The herald., 1893-02-08
PLAIN DUTY OF THR DISTRICT AT
TORNEY

Few people realize the immense ser.
vice the press is to the people. If il
were not for this splendid and fearless
agent OF freedom we should not have
even shadow of liberty. The rights oi
the people would be subverted and their
property packed off bodily if it were not
Tor an untrammeled press. Every now
ana then some wretched little creature
rises and undertakes to extingush the
heaven born liberty of the newspapers
some hide-bound creature like Jabez
Banbury, the late treasurer of Los An
geles county, who has had the impu-
dence to institute 10000 libel suit
against the HERALD because this Jour-
nal had the manliness to tell the truth
about him and bring about his defeat at
the late election. There is in theology
thing known as the objectionable sin,
and in particularizing it it has been
called the sin against the Holy Ghost.
What this sin is to theologians the mad
ness OF Jabez is in matters of libel cults.
This pious gentleman has been pocket.
ing sums of money belonging to the tax
payers which he ought to have allowed
to remain in the county treasury, to
lnure to the benefit of the people. The
HERALD has had the audacity to cues.
ton his right to do this, with the result
OF the libel suit aforesaid.
Now, while Mr.. Bsnbury is revelinp
In visions OF mulctiug the proprietors of
the HERALD out of the trifing sum of
$4,000, because they had the courage to
stand up for the people-and, by the
way, they were sustained by the people at
the late election-they retiring Mr.. Ban
oury aforesaid--we suggest to Mr.. Dill
Ion. the Democratic and Populist dis
trict attorney, that an excellent oppor-
tunity is afforded to him of compile
menting the action of his Republican
predecessor in the case of the notorious
although not famous Jabez B. Mr..
MacLachlan eigualzed the last days of
his occupancy of the district attorneys
office by bringing civil suit against the
late Republican county treasurer for
the recovery of the moneys whose con-
version to his own use by Mr..
Jabez Banbury resulted in that
PERSONS defeat for reelection! Now if
District Attorney Dillon will carefully
scrutinize the details of that suit he will
discover that the papers are purpoaely
or stupidity go drawn that the com
plaint against Mr.. Banbury is sure to be
dismissed. These papers ought to be
by competent member OF
Mr.. Dillon's staff, go that the case shall
be tried on its merits. We do not di-
-ectly charge Mr.. MacLachlan with col-
usion, but the facts are as we have
tated. Having recsified these papers,
Mr.. Dillon would next doa very gracious
md patriotic service to the people
oy fling criminal information
against Mr.. Banbury, with the
determined purpose of sending that
pharisee to the renitentiary. Pocketing
sums of money for expresssge and ex-
change which he never paid out is
very grave offense against both moral
ity and law, and Mr.. Banbtby ought to
be made to sweat for it. Mr.. Dillon is a
gentleman of energy and ability, and he
can earn the lasting gratitude of the
people by Furnishing violators OF tee
law. The whitewashing report of the
late grand jury shows that there is no
use of trying to get that body, generally
overwhelmingly Republican. to take
action in the premises. The law, we
believe, allows the district attorney to
cover the matter by information.