The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-06-24

attempt has Been made 10 desne libel as
an oyense requiring special treatment.
courts and attorneys have had wide
range within which 10 exercise p-eiudiees
and punish even conscientious newspapers
whose trashs were unpalatahls-
IN England SANDER ard libel. the one
defamation BY wo-d ard the other By
writing, have long formed Recognize.
weapons whose Use may De punished, but
as,nsez have arisen there. and within re-
cent years there has been 3 more inselsi-
gent treatment Of the offense. both by the
legislature and the courts Indeed within
the last twelve months English jurisnrn-
deres has practically created new OF
fease. common enough under cur political
system. but for which 10 punishment is
overwhelmingly, circulating campaign
SANDERS Iy an arnendnenes 20 the Cor
rupt Practices act OF lSs5. the dsssemina-
ton OF sianderoas statements as 10 the
personal character or conduct OF . candl-
date is made punishable by fine Of $50
ard disqualification as an eiector for Ave
years Almost every member had AT some
time experienced the need Of such law.
and the only objection made TO |. was
that the penalty was not severe enough
Several OF the stories told by members
OF parliament Were considered shocking,
but Il is with some shame We must ad-
nit that they are not rare in our cam
paigns One member said that ho was
charged jas, before election with being
eiscreditabiy mixed up IN divorce case,
and was only able TO SAKE himself from
defeat by inducing his wife 10 so en- the
platform and take a prominent part in
the election. Another member said he had
been accused of having As magistrate
sentenced a poor man TO month impris-
onu1ent a. hard labor for simply taking
handful Of oats for his children to feed
their rabbits. He asked the house TO be-
ilaye, on his honor. that there was no
foundation whatever for such a story. An
other complained that 1t had been charged
as a proof or his hard-heartedness and
lack OF sympathy with common people
that while colonel in the army in India
he had ordered q man TO he nosg lie
said the only truth there was ia the story
WAS that he had once been for few
hours In an Indian port. but had never
held a command there. Perhaps the
worst story of ali was that OF a member
who said that at the last moment when il
was too late 20 circulate the explanation.
IL Was charged that be paid his agricui-
tural laborers only shiilinSs week. and
hA Er oily
roborative testimony. The only truth in
this was that he paid pension OF S
shilHngs week to an old labofer who
had been on his estate for forty years.
Those who know anything of the venera-
ton with which the Sabbath is held In the
country districts Of Scotland can appre-
eiate the story told by member for an
Argyleshire constituency. He was charg-
ed Two days before the election with
having been seen on Sunday with the crew
of his zach; poachiag with net III the
river for salmon. lie would have been
much more readily forgiven II il had been
charged that he had carried Oft half
dozen or so of the airds wives on his
yacht 1t would be hard TO say whether
netting the salmon or breaking the SAB
bath was the more heinous offense In that
part OF the country. Favorlng horse
racing on Sunday, coming out OF a bill
lard room drunk. having been pirate.
were very ordinary campaign stories that
had 10 be refuted. and have their counter
part In this country, but the average
American elector does not quite under
stand why any man should consider him.
self injured by 1t being related that he
killed 4 rabbit and sold ii.
The only states where a really good cor
rupt practices act is in effect are Cali
fornia and Missouri and even there they
are not adequately enforced. One trouble
is that within twenty-loUr hours of an
election all interest In the campaign Is
gone. There Is one good feature about
that. Americans do no. cry over split
milk. but when the decision OF the ma
JorIty Is announced the contest is over
Even 4 defeated candidate dislikes to be
considered 'sGueaier' by raking up in-
cidents of past campaign. It would be
better ii pubic sentiment were more
acute on this subject. and visited upon
the campaign liar the punishment which
manhood is very willing TO enforce for
yilincatlon outside OF politics
Ths b{cvcie - ono NJ fha ,~raa, fr-,;.,,