New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-26
THE ELLSWORTH PRESS BILL
POINTING OUT ITS MANIFOLD BEAU
TIES"

!
TIES"
From The Buffalo Express
/ The more closely Tim Ellsworth's new press
/ gag bill Is examined the more prish''' w "
! manifold beauties SHINE forth'
4 person who. either as principal or agent con-
ducts or engages In the business OF edtirs,
n lSiI isehPions Indecent corrupt depraved or libel
lous paper or a paper which corrupts uePia nrrTn,
Jenrave degrade or injure the minds or morals o.,
the public or Of It's IS eny OF OF al and
upon conviction OF any such 0ilehsi oon r bv i'm
prisonmcrt for not more than one year or by DOT
such fine and Imprisonment. FOR thc lrst tSe
ebau he nunishod By imprisonment OF not less man
ono year or more than five years; ana III nu''.,
pioyes shall be prohibited from thereafter publish
Ing printing. selling, dis.riputing OF rayne. II The
defendant Is domestic corporation its CT, Charter r
shall be me from further doing
any business in this State
Why were not hanging. drawing. quartering
and burial at the CROSSROADS WIN VIZ tn sD ,s,
OF penalties? Mr.. Ellsworth Is TOO mlln ana
humane ever to be an efficient press censor
Every paper published sold distributed or cren
setting forth the names of every owner proprietor
pubisher and editor OF such paper III the o"ne.
such 0T P9eISnfT Hl shs S the
the corporation the county or state ahas yca
nres,Senf secretary treasurer manager and other
DnHsr 90 OF e%ned or Pubhed Any who
edits publishes prlnts ses 20 contain the state
ment above required is guilty Of neal hs
and upon conviction Of any such onenfe oo sha az be
imprisonment Of not more than year, or by
both such fine and Imprisonment.
This throws down the rule Of anonymity on
which the newspaper business Is oaseu s,,h-
ables a prosecutor to harry every salaried SUP
ordinate on a paper, as we'll as the RESPONSE
Bile head thereof
for violation Of II PFSysGIn ~
the first sef0 on Of te 'e sse and need not specify
or set forth any particular document Issue or num-
6e Of any h saSn But shall stale by
which such paper Is iseng F and aha state
bn p"riod Of time within which the defendant
charged Win non nf se a 1.-The party may put
evidence file Of such paper for the per,pd Of said
time for any particular issues or numbers tnefso,
or any extracts therefrom inc ,ury ,n ay s m
evidence without PROOF that any particular pe,ao11
or or injured. w
All ordinary rules OF evidence are here cast to
the winds newspaper may he suppressed on
evidence which would not suffice to SEND tramp
to the workhouse FOR ten days
The 1s f any osoh of n the wR pTo
visions OF this act shall take place shall appoint
the Se sefn3ant 10 assist him in such
assertion or trial provided that the expense or
such employment shall be paid by such complain
| ant and shall no: be a public charge
As there may be extraordinary evidence so
there must be extraordinary prosecution. 30
great Is the vin6ictlveness OF the authors OF tns
measure that they will not trust the regular
law officers to carry out the provisions or the
act.
Whenever there shall have been two or more more
convictions OF any person or TWO or more sepaEaSs
convictions OF different persons for vioatiohs az
diferent times OF Section Of this act WIN re-
spect to any paper such paper shall be deemed 70
nc,yrc,i,siion thereof AND OF ANY PAPER OF
THE SAME NAME, shall be unlawful
Mr. Ellsworth might reasonably have gone a
step further and attained the blood or the OF
Tending persons. Let their descendants nc OUT
laws even unto the third generation.
The unaided Imagination reels IN trying 10
conjecture the purpose Of this bill Messrs PAU
and Croker hardly hope 20 pass II. II T, -
doubtful IL the Governor would sign II. Inc
courts would certainly declare IT unconstlIn-
,onal No Jury would find conviction under
q WHY then. IL Ellsworth allowed TO give such
an exhibition Of his monomania at this time
The bosses cannot Brighten any newspaper with
such a man Of straw az this measure