Evening star., 1895-03-21

attacked. The public does not care from
which organization a paper draws its news:
The public simply wants the news well
told.
AS an outcome of this newspaper quarrel
has come the Noyes-Dana criminal libel
suit. If Mr.. Dana is unable to substantiate'
the charge Of dishonesty which his paper
brought against Mr.. Noyes, it certainly Is
| grave diffc ulty for Mr.. Dana. The Times
| does not, however, intend to enter into a.
| discussion of that side of the question. The
Times wishes to consider whether the case
| can be carried to Washington or whether it
| must be fought out in the courts of this
| state. The Washington Star, with which
Mr.. Noyes is connected looks at the remov-
al of the case to Washington in this light:
This District is the only part of the re-
public in which libel is an offense against
the law of the United States. and to no other
place than the national capital can the re-
moval for trial be sought of a libeler, who
has committed from a distance this offenSe
against the local law. AS an offset to this
peculiar privilege is the unique and ex-
elusive disability announced in the decision
of the Supreme Court of the United States
that the District Is not state under the
Constitution whose people can sue In the
federal courts, and that its residents stand
In this regard in a more unfavorable atti-
tude toward the national judiciary than
aliens. On the other hand, they are de-
barred from seeking as citizens of state
the impartial justice of a United States
court elsewhere against the citizen Of
against the local law. who are found in any
of the states, can be brought and are
brought frequently to this jurisdiction for
trial. and the list of offenses upon which
| in the case of the District than in that of
any other part of the republic. The law
makes both exceptions in the case of the
District. the one to its injury. the other to
its benefit"
This seems to be a very clear statement
of the law that bears on the case. News
papers have gone into editorial Mysteries
over the fear that If Mr.. Dana can be
dragged-'.dragged" is the word-to Wash
ington. their editors could be dragged from
San Francisco to Florida, or from Maine TO
New Mexico. Such Is not the law. AS ap-
pears from the above clipping, the law ap-
plies only to the District of Columbia
The citizens of Washington suffer another
privatioE Well not being allowed to
bring case against citizen of another
| state in United States court. The citizens
of the District of Columbia cannot vote for
presidential electors. This law which the
Washington Star states is on the same
| line.
Do the editors who shouting SO much
| for fear that relentless avenging fate may
| haul them away from their beloved sane
| tums to languish in foreign dungeons fear
not vote that their right of suffrage is
| threatened? Why do we not hear that
popular elections threatened and that
| liberty has fallen?
| rights in this matter. There is no strained
| Interpretation of the law. Editors need
| not fear that they will be dragged to
| Madrid. Spain, and there subjected to the
| tortures of the Inquistorial chamber. They
| need not fear the knout of Siberia. They
| need only fear to print libelous attacks
upon citizens of Washington if they do not
| wish to have the question settled in the
| District.
| The Washington Star criticizes the libel
| law. 1t admits that In many ways the libel
laws are especially formed for the injury
| of the newspapers. But the Times recalls
| that only a short time ago the Sun itself
| came out in opposition to a bill presented
| in the state legislature for reforming the
| libel laws of this state. The Sun has al
| ways claimed that If a paper publishes a
| libel that paper should pay damages. That
| Is right. Then. why does not the Sun, II
1t has not libeled Mr.. Noyes but has simply
| told the truth about him, send its editor
and business manager to Washington and
| prove that 1t has published no libel or why
does it not pay the penalty for that libel?
| The Times is of the belief that Noyes is
| o young man of fire. and should the courts
decide that Washington is the wrong turis-
| diction. Mr.. Noyes will undoubtedly bring
| his suit in some other court. MIR. Noyes.
| the Times believes, will not hesitate to
bring his case to New York. The case
promises to tie an interesting one and one
that will be fought out to the very end.
a Contention That VIII Hardly Go.
| From the Chattanooga Times.
The Philadelphia Record says of the at
| tempt to make Editor Dana answer for
| libeling Mr.. Noyes in Washington:
This ABSURD contention that an offense
| originating ia one place. where the offender
| lives. can be duplicated in hundred thou
| sand other places where he does not live.
| and expose him to a multiplication OF pros
| ecutions in various Jurisdictions, will. of
course, be resisted by the veteran editor of
| the Sun. He has constitutional right to
| be tried in New York, where he writes his
| editorials.
| Where the offense originated" is good.
| very. AS for man being exposed to
| sundry prosecutions. in all sorts of places.
| that is nonsense, for no one may be tried
| a second Time for the same offense. Mr..
Dana is no more entitled. in equity and
| conscience, to be tried in New York for
| Washington-and there Is no denial by the
| sticklers for the alleged sacred rights Of
| the Hbeler that he did just that-than there
| must be for the slandered to have his as
! could alone have done serious injury. The
| New York Mail and Express seems to
| argue that because he Is an awfuily smart
| old man and has an international reputa-
| ton as a great. editor. Mr.. Dana ought to
| be allowed license to viiify, slander and
| blackguard whom he pieases to thus de-
| spitefully maltreat; but this contention will
hardly go. The majority of the editors OF
| Mr.. Dana in the capacity of door mat and
| splitting target. We observe that few
have volunteered to SO serve, but We insist
| that they are not representative OF the
| manhood and self-respect in the profession.
As Broad as 1t Is Long.
| From the Woonsocket Call
Editor Dana of the Sun Is receiving much
| sympathy frcm those newspapers which
| think it is not right to compel him to an
swer to charge of libel in Washington
| court. It looks to US to be about as broad
4 as it is long. Were the case to be tried in
| New York, Mr.. Noyes. the man who claims
| to have been libeled. must travel from
| Washington to the metropolis to vindicate
| his good name. AS Mr.. Dana was the in
| stigator Of the whole affair, it would seem.
| that if any Inconvenience is to be suffered
| it is no more than right that he should be
| the sufferer. AS to the merits of the charge
| against the editor of the Sun, We must
| await the verdict of the court.
| What Does Fair Play RequfreP
| From the Chattanooga Times
| =" For our Part we can see no in
| justice in requiring men who libel their fell
| lows in a newspaper to answer for the Of
| fense where the lbeled party lives. provid-