The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-21

Sims of Sonoma rose to oppose the bill.
This Senate" he said, should not
pass laws to restrict the pictorial ex-
pressions of the opinions of the press.
Any one who has recognized the great
ness Of this country has seen that much
of its greatness has been due to fear
less expression of opinion on the part
of the press and to the free exercise OF
the right of free speech on the part or
the people.
The press has been the most power
full element of modern civilization; 1t
has contributed more to the history or
the country than any other instrument,
and its rights should not be curped.
There are libel laws to protect any one
who believes himself injured and they
can be made to punish the publication
Of anything untrue, and as we should
not suppress the expression of opinion In
the columns so we should not legiSlate
against the expression of opinion by
cartoons
Senator Simpson was Of a different
mind. Il had not thought" he said, TO
say anything on this subject, but II
there is any one who has the right to
stand up and declare himself for the
rights of the people, I am that man.
He then went on to justify himself Tor
going over to Burns. He believed there
should be a certain amount OF liberty
for the press, and he recognized the
IlSHI OIL the PAPERS " CllliSlHC NAiCAA q
man had been guilty of malfeaSance In
office or had betrayed a trust, but when
he had exercised an individual right
the Senator from Pasadena thought the
papers had no business to interfere.
Senator Morehouse claimed the moor
when Senator Simpson had finished
Now Morehouse can grow enthusiastic
on many subjects. but there is none
which wings his muse quicker or higher
than the rights of the press. He has
felt the sting of both pen and pencil
and he speaks by the book-and he can
speak when he wants to. He had full
swing for an hour in the afternoon and
along in the evening he remembered a
few things he might have said, but
which had slipped his memory. and SO
he rose again and started another out
burst of as bitter and scathing a de-
nunciation as was ever Whtrled around
his own head.
papermen whom he knew and some
whom he loved, but there was one for
whom he had the deepest, most indy
ing unquenchable, unsparing, uncon
trollable hatred, and he declared he
would mention his name only 1t would
be disrespect to the honorable body
of which he was member.
mo newspaper has any more right
than an individual" he began, and 1t
has no more right to blast mans
character or reputation. We should
stand like men and let them know there
is a limit beyond which no artist and
no scribbler can go. The point here In
this bill and in the amendment is that
no newspaper shall do man an injury;
when it expects to SANDER and blacken
it should be stopped; all we ask is that
1t do no wrong"
Then the Senate took up the difficult
ties of securing redress through the
course prescribed by the law. He re-
ferred to the farce of trying to secure a
summons on Hearst, the absent pro-
prietor of the Examiner. He described
the cool and deliberate methods of the
courts and the callowness of some of
the District Attorneys, and declared
that no one could get justice in this
land where justice was the fundamental
principle.
And who is the man who is re-
sponsible?" the irate orator shouted in
tones that made the gallery shiver.
Can you go to New York and kill the
vile dog? Mott is murder. You go to
the office in San Francisco and they
all hide behind the paper, and then
when you have them up here before a
Senate committee they refuse to answer
and go to jail until the Legislature is
over and has lost iuriSdictiOn