Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-15
ARGUMENTS IN FULL
CONTINUED from page A.

the sweet air of Heaven. ready to send
them down again the slide that leads to
He'll below, and yet Jack McCone when
he left behind him the prison door, said:
II have in me the making of man; l
will go out and take up life again; will
redeem myself in the eyes of the people"
Witnesses come here to give you not
their personal opinion but to show the
reputation for honesty and good charac-
ter that he has won by well doing. Aye,
cannot. He cannot slip out of your
minds the strength and solidHy of the
testimonial of good character that these
men give. l am willing to take his shafts
of ridlcule. l am willing to sit under his
whitening scorn, for / know his power.
I respect his ability, but, gentlemen,
feel as II l owed a debt to Jack McCone,
who, today, is noble and upright men,
Der of one of our best communities. ana
Team willing to accept whatever of per-
sonal modification there should be in
rtdicule. and knowing the mans stand
ing. selected out OF the hundreds that
l might have brought here the best: 1t
is true they are sheriffs. county commas
sioners mayors. judges, senators, rep
resentatives and newspaper men; they
are men who knew what the question
meant. They are men who know what
and, thank God! Jack income will go out
of this court room with the blessed con-
viction that this trial will end IN great
blessing to him in his future life, for ne
will know whatever may have been the
slip from the paths of virtue years ago.
today. thank God. he stands as wen IN
amy community where he has lived, gen
tlemen, as do you in yours. Ana now
stands this poor fellow who has brought
his character here, who thought that by
bravado he could stand on the presump-
ton of good character? How stands the
case. There are honest men IN the Town
of Clinton. l say / can take the hand
nf Joa Mo(snna "a he comes out OF this
court house. / could take him to my.
home. tonight, after this vindication OF
his character. He may sit at my table;
he may sit with my children and should
recognize him as my equal. but George
McNally, after the developments here.
never-never-not while 1t Is my duty
and yours to protect your children and
mine. to teach that virtue is the highest
ambition in life and that vice. that love
of vice. sensuality which will seek the
most abhorrent scenes for its gratifica-
tion, cannot be forgiven in a New Eng
land community. Now, gentlemen, only
one word more. l have taken double the
time | anticipated ! have submitted this
case to you with the great burden of ply
steal difficulty. an unknown thing to me.
Undoubtedly | have wearied your pa
thence in doing so. and that ! regret. For
get me and take my cause. 1t is an issue
of Importance. 1t is certainly of import
ance to these defendants.
Starting with the presumption of good
character. it seemed to be on the face
of it important to the plaintiff. but as
developments wore on. his character
went out and it's Importance then to us
became the mere settling of the issue OF
whether or not We had been reckless in
the government of this great paper. 1t
lis an important issue to be settled in the
courts of this State. Newspapers gentle
men, are not to have license. They are
to have the liberty of the press guaran-
teed to them by the organic law of this
State. They are given great privileges in
their right to freely criticize the doings
of public officers. 1t is the only weapon
that you and ]. members of the commu-
nifty at large, have to hold public officers
to sense of well-dofng. We can look
only to the public press. Gentlemen. II
they cannot publish news items of the
tloings of public officers after reasonable
and fair Investigation. if they cannot dc
that fearlessly, if they cannot be pro-
tected by this rule of law, the govern
ment "of the people and for the people
and by the. people" is at an end. 1t is al
issue broader than a mere settlement be
tween Mr. Mentally and the defendants
1t opens into all the avenues of public
and political life / have no doubt. gen
tlemen. you will decide it with a du,
sense of your responsibility to the public
at large. to the plaintiff and to the de
PENDANTS. l thank you for your attention
to most wearisome argument.