The sun., 1895-03-28
an EDITORS RIGHTS.
Editors Everywhere Denounce the At
temptcd Outrage.
From the Sacramento Bee.

national capital to be tried for criminal libel.
| Even the enemies of the veteran and world
leading editor, and their name is legion" are
standing manfuy up for Dana in n protest
against this infringement upon his rights as an
American citizen. II Noyes shall he sustained
in his effort to force Dana to Washington, and
the trial shall result in verdict for the de-
fcrdant, what is there to prevent Noyes from
continuing his prosecutions and instituting
suits against the brilliant SuH editor in every
state in which his paper circulates, and that
| means every state in the American Unonp
| II will be remembered that A. r. shepherd of
! Washington endeavored In 1873 to drag Dana
to the national capital to bo tried before n
preiudiced court for publishing certain very Sc
we're articles. The veteran journalistic warrior
! fought against such a despotic invasion of the
rights and liberties of an American citizen. with
| the result that Judge Blatchford. afterward a
| Justice of the supreme Court OF the United
States. set Dana at liberty on habeas corpus.
| Such attempts to Russianlze methods of per-
secuton of newspaper publishers not con-
| fined to the Atlantic seaboard. In the seventies
! tina Sargent -Gornan ring of California procured
indictments against Charles De Young Of the
| San Francisco ChrOntcic in various counties of
| tho State. and tried to obtain them in everv
| county. One case tried in Ell Dorado county,
| far away from the city of publication at great
expense, trouble, and annoyance to the news
paper proprietor, the evident intention being to
continue the persecution in every county possi
BILE until the editor finally Jailed or the
paper harassed into bankruptcy The ring was
beaten in the first trial. however, and other in
dictments were quashed.
In 1887 the proprietors OF the Bee were taken
away from their business to Placer county amid
an inmical element. and tried for four weeks on
n charge of criminal libel. That they won the
case against odds did not entirely recompense
them for the thousands of dollars which it cost
them, nor for the loss to their business by both
being forced away from their duties.
What was q question of counties in these CAL
iforna cases becomes a question of States and
Territories in tho case of Editor Dana 1t is to
be hoped that the courts will sustain him in his
manly opposition to this outrageous infringe
ment upon his rights.
If Dana has wronged Noyes. let Dana be pun
ished in New York, and not dragged around the
country while his enemies hunt for court
somewhere in which they can mako certain Of
his conviction.
From the Wdhhum Evening Neps
The Erenf,i1 Nc,rs is of the opinion that while
the courts will hold that the words per Sc are
libelous unless proven or privileged Mr.. Noyes
must pursue his remedy in the jurisdiction
where the words complained OF were first ut
tered, not subsequently hawked about. At
least two things are essential to constitute libel,
the writing and the uttering. A mere incohate
writing not given publicity stands the same as
oon.oi,,., - -, 49,. - a .us oe,
10 rroed fror i,s custndi.n .,,d h.oo,,., ,,rt,,s
nron.r,v TINT has hoe, ron,n,o,,d ro- ,h.oh ~
O proper case. the courts could afford rcdress
The offence in legal parlsnce il committed /,
the jurisdiction where the written word, ar,
first given to the public in this case undouhtcd-
ly in the CITY Of New York Had Mr. Dano od
dressed n communication to the editor of tb.
Jyushinoton Post. for examine. and had tho sams
been published we think that he could be
brought to Washington and made stond tr,s,
because the crayamcn of the oNence the NH
ucation. was in that Jurisdiction Rnt tho CO..
under consideration i, not of tbi. na,nre ond
we feel very certain in nredicting that .f,.r al,
IS said and done Mr., Novc. will Inv. IN br;r,
his process in New York II be wants IN nroce.d
either criminallv or c;vil,v soa;nst NJ nav.
tso,n ~. ,,,o, c,,.-,,,
Nh. ,o,.,. .,,... -, .,.- ,,.--,,
.,a.';,; ,,.N. S,p. y. VI. ""sn'nk."n au-
l:. ~. W LYNX 'no
.,,, ~ "'nins.on Jury
CO.. .,s -, :,:, -. -, W" ~
s. "o"u 70 'uo"lous "efo ~ ho' 'or it'
. ~. ~, -, anu uns'' upuiouS III
49,, 80, 80 ''o ''o'o' iee pfees' Eli
- .,. .'1 po .p'Ho'A .Ini''' "iioru 10 VIII
Aes' wv .o"e''''.o""i 'isn's Oh an eoitor lg-
~ Guy n.o'o .A"" ~ '"h 'ha' Oh any other
.,H - ~. -. -,i plol.eeon. Every ne"spaper snould
.I.n,., p'o "sa"s' .l'' unproce-
w ' "pi"s
From the Lebanon Evening Report
tthe Noyes-Dana libel suit was one of general
interest and Importance from the onset, 1t is now
doubiy SO. For, by ono OF those unexpected
turns IN events which 1t Is hardly likely Mr..
Noyes anticipated, interest for the public no