The record-union., 1899-02-21


as against the newspapers in the State,
it was he. Because he had exercised
his prerogatives and changed his vote
from one man to another at a session
of the joint assembly he had been car
featured and villainized until, II people
could be induced to believe such state
ments, his reputation would have been
ruined. He said the people OF his DIS
trfct sent him to the Senate because
they We're willing to trust to him 10
represent them. He was not, he SAID,
afraid of newspaper censure. He had
said in the little "bobtau caucus that
he had stood before the cannon's
mouth, and did not fear to stand be-
fore the press and people-and ne
meant every word of It.
Morehouse was very bitter in his
arraignment of the newspapers. lie
said he only intended to call attention
to the objects and purposes of the bill
and it's amendment, but he went 1ur-
Their. He started by saying that no
newspaper or newspaper scribbler had
any right to wrong individuals any
more than ordinary citizens. He de-
clared it time for the Senate to stand
like men, brave and honest, and draw a
line across which newspapers, scrlp-
blers or artists should not go. He pro-
posed to allow a man to write, thlnh
or say what he pleased, as the Constl-
tuition provided that he should do, put
he proposed to make the writer re-
sponsible for his statements. he saio
the point had been reached when news
papers should be allowed to do wrong
to no individual He said it was time
to stop the men who dipped their pens
in poison and wrote in venom, to rum
the man against whom the displeasure
of the proprietor of the paper ran Such
managers. he said sent their artlsts
out, and the next morning the man
under his ban would be painted as
dog-a dog! And he had no redress.
Morehouse said it might be inquired
why civil actions. for damages were
not brought. He stated that IN the
case of the San Francisco Examiner
the courts would issue no summons,
because the manager was riotng IN
New York city" If the criminal courts
were resorted to, a. young and inexperi-
enced lawyer would be found in charge,
not fitted for conducting suit of such
a character.
Warehouse said there were neWspa-
pers in the State which conducted their
business on honorable principles,
among which were the Sacramento
"Record- Union and the San Fran
cisco Bulletin"
Shortridge said the speakers had pre-
cipitated considerable feeling into their
argument, and had raised the bill above
most of the others introduced. He SAID
that Morehouse, with his peculiar char
acteristics, had ably presented his ar
suments for the bill. The speaker
called attention to the fact that the
bill as originally introduced meant
strict regulation intended to do nothing
less than destroy the liberty of the
press. To that point the debate ought
to be directed. He said 1T was not for
him to say whether Senators Morehouse
and Simpson had been wronged, but he
thought the provisions of the bill were
rather too severe to correct the abuses
heaped upon the two Senators. He
said that every Senator, when he took
his seat had held up his hand and
sworn to protect the Constitution of
the State of California and Of the Unit
ed States, and he then read from the
Constitution that section which pro-
vides that no law shall be passed to
restrain the liberties Of speech or of the
press. He commended that when Leg
islatures struck at the liberty Of the
press, they struck directly at that por-
ton of the Constitution most endeared
to the American heart. He had no in
tention Of protecting abuses of the press
as applied to individuals, but he felt
that the cartoonist and the writer were
on the same plain-that motives could
be depicted by pictures as well as words,
and he held that if under the Constitu-
ton free speech and free press could
not be abolished, neither could pictures
portraying acts and events. He called
attention to the fact that the present
laws provided against the publication
of libelous articles or pictures, and he
thought that law should, and did, suf-
flee He left it, he said, to the honest
writer to whip into line the scoundrels
who abuse the freedom given them by
the Constitution. and he left it to the
honest cartoonist to do the same. He
had no excuse for the abuses of the
press, but he had appreciation of the
whips when laid on the backs of rascals.
Shortridge said the press treated the
Senate too seriously. and the Senate
had arrogant1y presumed to regulate
the press for it's seriousness. He pro-
tested against the bill.
Gillette opposed the amendments and
the bill. He thought the present law
of libel was ample. He believed few
of the newspapers of the State had
abused the rights given them under the
Constitution, but he thought it better
to restrain them by means of the pres
emit ample libel laws, rather than at
tempt to encroach upon the rights
specified by the Constitution.
Sims paid his respects to Morehouse,
and touched upon the latter's bill, max
ing the killing of newspaper editors
justifiable homicide. He could imagine
the ghosts of such editors wandering
abroad. He commended with Gillette,
that the present libel law was sufficient
to meet every complaint that could be
made-every article and every cartoon
published. He held that the Senate
should sit as a Judge on the bench and
coolly and carefully and deliberately
weigh the matter before passing upon
it.
Simpson recalled that two years ago
San Francisco paper had come out
with an article referring to Shameless
Morehouse, Dickinson Of Robbers
Roost. Jack Boyce of Santa Barbara
and Poor Old Simpson and that the
same newspaper had cartooned them in
every conceivable manner. He said he
had no doubt but had he done as some
of the San Francisco papers desired,
they would have lauded him for his late
action in the joint assembly AS he
had not agreed with them they had Will
fed him and held him up to ridicule.