Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-03-26
THE HERALD-WOODB ARBITRA-
TION.

"A
TION.
Grom the Bellows Falls Times)
The Herald wanted some advertising and
the governor in self defense was forced to
pick up the gauntlet. 1t is but natural that
the latter should be ready to arbitrate. but
what about the Herald? A very homely
word expresses the whole matter-craw-
fishing.
F'rom the Rutland IIerald)
The Herald made some statements in re-
gard to liquor selling in the Van Ness
House at Burlington, and charged ,that
GOV. Woodbury., owner and landlord of
the building, was in certain way re-
sponsible under the law. Gov Woodbury.
declared that the statements were not
true, and called for a retraction. The
Herald said that 1t could not retract, and
thereupon the governor brought "A $500
libel suit against the paper. In bringing
the suit Gov. Woodbury. declared in a
formal way what he had before said in
formally-that the Herald's statements
were not true. The Herald in due time
filed its answer in the suit, declaring in a
formal way that its statements were true
and giving tho names of several hundred
witnesses upon whom it depended to show
that truth-with the suggestion that other
names were to follow.
III Allc course OIL proceeding the
suit would have been tried by a jury, and
the Herald proceeded preparing its case
for such trial But the suggestion was
made that some Other way might be taken
and the Herald took the position that If
Gov Woodbury. preferred any other tri-
bunal than tho one to which he had origin
ally appealed he might himself practically
select it and name his men The negotia-
tions eliminated In an offer by the Herald
to Gov. Woodbury. 10 have the trial before
any Judge of the Supreme Court, Gov
woodbury. alone to make the selection
and formal stipulation was accordnely
made and signed by the parties. except
that the number as we'll as the personal
choice OF the judges was left TO tho gov
ernor-he might choose any one or any
three. He did choose three, and they have
consented 10 act-Chief Justice Ross and
Judges Tyler and Rowell The Her
aid was and is perfectly willing to
trust Its case 10 any fair tribunal, and is
now busy preparing evidence to submit in
the triai before tho judges named. The
precise date of that trial is not yet fixed
The dreadful arbitration" merely pro-
Vided for trial out of the regular course
and tended to simplify the contest, but In
no way radically changed IT. The suit Is
IN court, lust as 1t was before, and tcsti-
mony Is being taken In 1t, Just as in any
Ordinary suit. But is Is likely that there
80 10 ti'oio 1N'uehce III the form or de-
positions ana less given orally than II the
Trial wero before n jury. . 1t is i'm
possible 10 say what the trial may settle in
regard to the prohibltory law. But the
Herald Is doing Its best to prove that every
word 1t said was true or within tho truth.
ana there need DO no sort of apprehension
iesl the pubic VIII be excluded from
knowledge of tho evidence. Tho whole lot
VIII become public record, It is obvious
that 1t must be OF a nature to keenly In
terest the publicno matter what tho out
come or the suit, and nobody concerned
can possibly object to the publication of
every line OF 1t. And, while the Herald is
patient and long suffering, 1t cannot I'M
derstand how 1t "crawfshes" to any great
extent so long as the statements 1t made
stand without retraction. They have
stood so far. and stand to-day.