New-York tribune., 1899-06-14
caLIFoRNIA's "FOoL" LAW.
THE REQUIREMENT OF s1GNAIonS''>
ALL NEWSPAPER COMMENT oN
LIVING OR DEAD.

.r ,w IGNORED coNTEMPTuousLr BY ALL
,,c c,ry NEWSPAPERS EpI-
ro,s WHO MADE THEMSELVES RlpiCo-
,o,,s IN oBEYING ITS PROVISIONS
Inn. u fspecap.-No greater
oasco in legislation was ever seen INA" '.e .rso,
"a s,no,ure law which went into enec.
,hrovohout California on April H. ini' '" -
rh,cb a pretty full digest was prin'eu a. VI. ' ,
a, the Tribune intended py i's ia'"S ~, -
" "a 20 what they termed 1.-The onsiaushts III ''e
a." - -, nross on men and measures OF proni-
49, "a repute": yet though II was Drawn W
mo LAWYERS OF wide reputation IL proven "
,.sak and crude that the leaoing San I
,owspapers united in ignoring IL coinpie.e'y CO."
r. country newspapers that started OUT o9 0oo'''
'ne e s III abandoned the signature system. as
- % haya found that II serves no other end 'hdii
- ynake them ridiculous. few newspapers hau
t,n out Of the law and some OF 'hei' 'o"e' "
worth reproduction.
NoRODY BEGINS PROCEEDlNGs'
MANY Of the country editors have called upon 'ne
,,.ners Of the law and the Governor VINO sisneu
t" t.,o o,io, AGAINST the stiff -necked city jour
oais hut thus far no one has come out INTO '"e
onen and begun proceedings for failure TO observe
the law. -, -.. ,h,s.
The essential provision Of the law was '"'S
Every article. statement editorial contaneo cont IN
any nfWBBs69eT in or this state which by writing or
printing tends TO 6Scksn ken bn1esy snn integrity virtue
or reputation publish the natural OF pose him
fects o 70 o nbc hatred contempt ridicule must
be supplemented by the true name o. 'N signed or
such article. statement OF eN'''
printed at the end thereof
Tho most vicious feature of the law Is that II
provides that half the fine OF N"v ior lai'uie ~
observe its provisions IS to go TO the PeIsoi WI"
hegns the suit If the law had oeeh ueeneu -, 80
e,,,u,ional score OF "shysters" and oacKmahels
%, tho nroof Of violation Of the law would be very
simple and would require no witnesses
LEGISLATORS FEELINGS HURT.
rh men who drafted this bill and pushed IL
through the Legislature were ID. v 1noieno.Se .r
and Grove L. johnson. Both were members oi 'ie
last Legislature, and both had sunereu seNeIsy
the hands OF caricaturists and correspondents
-rbo,, rni,ed tc devise some means OF muzzrns the
n-ess hut the wonder is that. with their Kno"Ieuee
of the law they should not have nit upon SUM
thing which could be enforced. Thelr prihai! 0o
tect was 10 compel the printing Of the signature o
the writer Of lbeous articles or OF the al'is| WY
drew ubellous caricatures. In order to enect 'i's
purpose they overshot the mark and perPeua'eu
Ieciclatve monstrosity which has eXol'eo '"e w
,sior ~ the whole country Both men have rec
ords and pecuiarites which LEND themselves W
csri,aturo and since the Signature ana 'he AnU
Csr,oon law went into effect they have saHereu
severely in print, but thus far neither mas soue"'
protection or revenge in the courts
The nronrietors OF the leading daily newspapers
~ san Francisco have formed publishers asso-
c,aticn for mutual protection. 1t was the opiiIo"
-, ~, courgel OF the various members OF the asso-
ciation that compliance with the Signature Ia"
would be equivalent to admitting that 'he d''0ieS
signed were libellous Hence the associdllo" ""'
advised to ignore the law entirely as sai'i 'i -
compliance Then. II any "pernicious acHNi'9
uera shown by shyster lawyers and others eager 10
gain part of the fines imposed for violation oi
the law. all the proprietors would De od"ueu W W
gether defendants in a test case. Inns d',I..
n+oved 70 be good for obedience TO the absurd law
would have made the columns OF the IdIec "e"
rapers ridiculous ac the provisions of the law did
not exempt ordinary local items from signature
SOME NEWSPAPER SPECIMENS.
on April 49, the day the law went into enect
some amusing specimens Of humor' conscious a.
wen as unconscious were presented. THE Sacra
nento Bee" newspaper which is never AFRAID o
expressing downright opinion in vigorous Eng
lsh was a freak" paper worthy OF ADDING 10
collection Of curios. The leading article was al
able exposure Of the absurdties Of the new Ia"
signed by Charles Kenny McClatchy' one or I'M
two brothers who own the paper. Then In shor
paragraphs each signed with McClatchys lui
name the law and It's trainers were piloried Il
hilarious style Here are few specimens III
first being the editors compliments to the Gov
ernor Of California. who was weak enough TO max
the "too' bill law
All there. Henry Theophlus Gage,
Greetings likewise to you, Hotspur valiant More
To YOU Grove Lachrymose Johnson, the Veepir
VILLAIN Of the Valley. royal salaam' u =,
eraf.ed upon the statute books Of The State Of Cs
fornia by parcel OF escaped ond Wo
arg In the Legislature.
In another part OF the same issue OF The Bee
all the local news items were signed so that /
reading the columns after routine report Of tn
Board OF Aldermen account of lecture on
came upon such gems as this;
The dust in the street is very am annoying and i
a wric. we guess the sprinklers Will come on
sire Streets ts'' '''' VIII EDWARD JOHN DEvLIN
.,. COUNTRY EDITORS SEVERE.
No other paper openly ridiculed the law "Th
Bee did but many country editor. fatty expresse
their opinions of It's idiocy and signed their opir
ions. Here is the conclusion Of article in 18th
colfax Sentinel" with the editors signature:
The requirements of the law are stupid and mall
cious. In the attempt Of the lawmakers to lear
the identity OF editorial writer's Of the meropota
press burden has been placed upon every pun
Usher in the State.
informer. II is example Of variegated asinn
stupidity diotc and Ifamoqs; i is uneGnstu (, slI
uonal; II Is rotten. IVAN HENRY PARKER
The Editor of The Santa Cruz Sentinel" Dur
can Mcpherson. rejoices in the reputation Of wr
ing the worst doggerel OF any newspaper man
the State. He lived up to his reputation by endn
a prose article on thc new law with this execrab
coupet. in which he coined new word
We. too. want 10 be sure
, And just signature
The Sonora Democratic Banner IS evident
edited by whose mental development We
arresed az the sophomore stage. Here is the ope,
ing Of d ponderous illumination against the law:
The signature bill. the vile spawn hatched al
fathered by gang of the most peccant noodle
who ever corrupted legislation has been ignore
by the editors who will not bend the head for u
yoke that would enslave the giant advocate OF II
erty. The pernicious law has for its vena obje
the strangllng Of the bequeathed prerogatives
an enlightened and honorable profession, tn
blackguards, swindlers, rotten politicians and 4
fag end Of humanity might have unchecked licen
for their prontgacy. So long there exists a fea