The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-13
Mr.. PRATT SUES THE HERALD.

Ill., = IN = --1E1NAiO.
Mr. Arthur Pratt has brought suit
for libel against The Herald, laying
his damages at thirty thousand dol
lars. He alleges as his cause of action
the publication in The Herald. septem-
Ter ). 1897. Of the AFFIDAVIT Of ex-Captain
of Police John J. Donovan, that afhda-
vit having been made in the course OF
The trial of Dir. Pratt. as chief of po-
ice. by the police and fire commission.
At the time of it's publication Mr.. Pratt
demanded that The Herald aeknowl-
edge publicly the falsity Of each and
all Of said charges in said article set
FORTH and Ito retract the said publi-
cation of the said article so published"
as provided by law" This The Her
aid declined 70 do. and the reason it
declined to comply with Mr.. Pratt's de-
mand was stated in an editorial, which
appeared in the same issue with Mr..
Pratt's formal demand for retraction
and denial. That editorial was as fol-
lows:
Elsewhere in this issue viii be found
a communication from Mr.. Arthur
Pratt in relation to the affidavit of ex.
Captain of Police Donovan which ap-
peared in The Herald of Friday morn
ing.
Vrhen Mr. 13,.a++ cove ..+ba+ said rra
tended AFFIDAVIT was not a deposition"
he merely bubbles, drawing a distinc-
ton so fine that none but those famil-
lar with technical terms would de-
tect it.
Mr.. Pratt says that The Herald and
its manager knew that each and all
OF the material allegations in Captain
Donovan's affidavit were false and un-
true. The Herald or its manager did
rot know whether the allegations were
false or were true. and published them
as part of the record in the case, which
has been before the public for some
months. the same as it published the
charges made against Mr. Pratt by
! the commission and the evidence that
has been produced before it. The Her
aid has neither affirmed nor denied the
truth or falsity of Captain Donovan's
! allegations any more than it has af-
firmed or denied the truth or falsity
Of the commissions charges. 1t has
published the charges. against Mr.. Pratt
and the proceedings had in pursuance
thereof as a matter of news and for
no other reason. It has not done so
maliciously, for ii has had no malice
| towards Mr.. Pratt, nor has it; nor has
it sought to injure him. nor has it.
The Herald published Captain Dono-
vans affidavit as legitimate news. Hav-
ing made no affirmations or denials re-
garding the same, it has no retractions
to make.
If Mr. Pratt feels that b. 2as been
aggrieved or injured by The Herald,
the courts of the state are open to him
to seek redress. The Herald has not
sought to work him any injury, and
when it published the Donovan affidavit
it Gid so as a mere matter of news,
and entirely without malice or in-win
against him.
Mr. Pratt brings his suit against The
Herald at time that seems best to
him. but at time when he is promi-
nently before the public as a candidate
for chief of police of Salt Lake City.
Whether he entertains the idea that his
suit will in any wise influence the
course of this paper in its attitude to-
wards his candidacy, we do not know;
but it will not. The Herald will neither
lessen its opposition to his candidacy,
neither will it increase it because of Mr..
Pratt's suit, for it is private matter
that concerns only Mr.. Pratt and The
Herald. while his candidacy is a mat
ter that concerns the public most in
timately. The Herald's course has been
dictated solely by what it believed to
be the best interests of the city, and
win continue to be, and it will not per-
NIT itself TO be influenced by any per-
! sonal matters; and Mr.. Pratt's suit is
a purely personal matter.