The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-02-25
LEADING EDITORIALS.
From the New York Journal.
COURTS AND In view Of the recen

|
tion. the action Of Judge Miner. Of COL
umbus, Ohio. In Furnishing newspaper
| editor for so-called contempt of court
is moro than ordinarily interesting. II
appears that J. l.. Patterson, the editor
Of the Portsmouth tohio) Times, wrote
and published rasplne criticism of one
OF Judge Miners decisions Thereupon
he was hauled into the court room and,
without trial by jury, was convicted.
fnod 800 and sentenced TO imprisonment
for three days
There is involved In this matter a prin-
cipie much broader than the validity Of
tho first amendment to tine constitution,
that amendment which provides that
| Congress shall make no law
abridging tho freedom Of speech or Of the
press This principle is nothing less than
the principle upon which our whole theory
OF government is founded.
| Though often obscurGd today, the hypoth-
esis out Of which the constitution grew
is the hypothesis that all government de-
Ponds upon the consent of the governed.
1t is therefore true, under the constttu-
tlon. that the officers elected by the peo-
pie or appointed by the peoples delegates.
arc not, and OF right ought not to
De. immune from public discussion and
criticism Of their official acts. Or Ito
| apply the general to the particularly a
JUDICIAL officer, while he must OF course
be invested with sufficient dignity ana
| authority TO preserve respect for his Of
hec. can not be relieved from responsible
| ity to the people II is plain that this
responsibility implies that these to whom
ne Is responsible are permitted to think
and to express their thoughts concerning
me manner in which he uses the powers
for the use of which he is responsible.
Ihis CONCLUSION not only is just in logic.
but also is justified by experience, both
early and recent.
OF late the idea has sprung up that ap-
polntees of the president, by and with
the consent of the senate. are answerable
TO the president and senate only, whereas
the fact is that they derive their functions
from the people. through the president
and senate as agents, and that they are
answerablo to the people. 1t is to this
false and dangerous idea that govern
ment by injunction" is due to 1t Is due
the growing feeling that as such news
papers as the Evening Post express It,
the courts have become the chief II not
the sole bulwark against "the aggressions
Of the mob" Il. e. the people,; to 1t is
also duo such outrageous aud not infre-
qucnt usurpatons as that Of which this
Ohio judge Is guilty.
If free country is TO remain free there
must be no hindrauce Of the public dis
cusson OF the conduct Of public officials
whether legislative, judicial or executive
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
fshCHiATRf The brain OF
AND THE tho murderer,
DuEsTROW CASE. Duestrow. who
was hanged last Tuesday. was carefully
taken out and scientifically examined. This
was done by several physicians. Or. Henry
Rohlzing, professor of pathology at the
Missouri Medical college, making the ie-
port.
1t would be useless to attempt TO make
that report intelligble in its details TO
the lay public. To say there were milk
spots on the brain is really no more in
telligble than to say that an osteoma
was found. The practical question is, Does
the condition of the brain show that the
man was insane? Science travels by long
roads. which the inexpert can not follow.
but its conclusions. when fairly reached
are plain enough.
The science of mental disease, psvchi-
airy, is hardly out of its cradle. ca ssar
Lombroso of the Royal University at
Turin has done more than any one csc
10 develop this science In It's more mod
ern phases. His illustrous pupil, Max
Nordau. has pursued the subject n It's
Application to Literature. music, and art
his work on Degeneration" having proyed
ono OF the landmarks of intellectual mo-
gress Morel may be called the father of
this science
There Is something peculiarly revolving
TO a sense OF justice In the execution Of
an insane person. So abhorrent is the idea
that In Illinois provision is made even
for rcsculng from the gallows those who
may become insane after committing the
murder II Duestrow was simply urly .
drunk he deserved no commiseration, hut
II he was really insane he should have
been shut mp and kept where he could
commit no further atrocity.
II would be in the interest OF science
and practical philanthrophy II tho brain
OF every murderer were generally dis
seoted by competent experts. whether
executed or allowed to die natural death.
Tho data which could be secured In hat
way would cause no spein and be of very
great value in promoting the knowledge
OF mental diseases. The brains Of the two
highwaymen who killed the Chicago artist.
Atwater, In Webster Grove, suburb OF
st. Louis and who We're hanged the same
day that Duestrow was. should also be
examined. Yesterday their companion, the
brother of tho younger of the two was
hanged, These four brains might throw no
Uncomfortable light upon science
There is not only mental disease hut
hygiene of the mind, and science can con-
Germ itself With no more vital problem
than mental hygenics. one evening of
this week n great actress presented to
n Chicago audience phase of the French
revolution. ono would suppose that tie
France of that day was suffering an
epidemic of insanity. To distinguish be-
tween the frenzy OF crime and the mania
Of insanity is one OF the more Intricate
problems OF sociology in general and
psychiatry in particular
From the Atlanta Constitution.
"sOUTHERN In addition IN tie
ENCLusIvENEss." recent tlrade
against Southern textbooks the New York
sun comes to the front with another BIT
ter sectional films,
AS reason for the alleged exclusive
ness Of the Southern people 1t is charge