Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-05-18
THE CASE OF AN EDITOR.

A Free Press VIII Preserve lite Rights
In spite of an Ignorant. TyrAnnous
Judge.
Judge Scott. OF Omaha, on Tuesday
last, sentenced Edward Roeewster, editor
OF the Bee, to imprisonment for thirty
days and to pay fine of $500 for con-
tempt Of court.
The offense was the publication OF an
article criticising a certain decision OF the
Judge. The case is similar to our own
contempt case, says the San Francisco
Star, which, after our summary convic-
ton, fine and imprisonment, resulted in
an uprising Of the whole people and the
passage Of the following law by the legis-
lature:
mo speech, statement or publication
rejecting upon or concerning any court,
or any officer thereof. shall be- treated or
punished as u contempt OF such court,
unless made in the immediate presence
OF such court while in session, and in
such manner as to actually interfere
with it's proceedings"
If anything, greater judicial outrage
has been committed in Editor Rose
waters case than was in ours. He intro
duced evidence showing that he knew
nothing Of the article complained of; that
he was not in the office on the date Of it's
publication that he had not directed the
matter, and in fact was entii ely ignorant
that an article OF any such nature was
about to appear. We did not seek to
evade responsibility for The Star article,
but justified 1t on the ground that it was
true, and that it was our constitutional
right to criticise a judge az freely as we
would the acts Of any other public SER
want, being amenable for any abuse OF
that right, under the law Of libel.
In Editor Rosewater's case, as in ours,
trial by jury was denied in fact, what
was called trial was the veriest farce.
The accuser was also judge and execu
: toner. He even refused to give his
victim a hearing until forced to do 30
and then the gallant editor said:
at is monstrous doctrine. l woulc
rather rot in forty jails and prisons thar
, to surrender what has been fought fol
by the fathers Of this republic, which in
D cludes the liberty Of the press to criticis'
public servants-snd the courts are pub
lie servants as much as any other class
from representatives in the Legislative
. halls in the capitol at Lincoln or Wash
4 ipgton. l shall cheerfullv submit to thi
q ordeal 1t will not hurt me. If there i
r anything hat l am guilty Of, if l an
guilty of any contempt at all, it is the con
4 tempt of my fellow-citizens for helpin
q Colonel Scott to become judge OF thi
4 district"
The imprisonment of Editor Rose
water WILL we doubt not, have the effet
!, of bringing the judges to understand thu
= their will is not supreme; that FIRE
Z speech and a free press are ABOVE an
:, - assumed inherent right" Of u moder
3 Jeffreys to arbitrarily imprison whoevs
70 dares to oppose his tyranny or CORFU
- ton. Take away the right of free speecl
and all other rights, through the mo-
eyed power, would be wreeted from Il
81 people, and the republic be- a republ
=, only in name. The citizens and pres
lie not only of Nebraeka but of the who
rs Union, should voice, in thunder tone
4 their condemnation of this monstrous j
is vasion by Judge Scott of the right gus
le anteed to all by the federal constitutio