The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-17
A LIMIT ON INHERITANCES.
LOGAN THOUGHT 1T SHOULD BE
FINED At SIO.GO0,OOO.

Justice Brown on The Liberty OF
the Press" Before the New York
Bar Assocfation-Hc severely De-
nounced the Methods of Sensn-
tionnI JournnIism-Ug ely stories
Told of the Methods Resorted TO.
Regulations Made Unsafe.
Albany, y. y. Jan. I6.-In opening the
session of the state Bar Association to-
day President Logan made an address on
THE Limitation of Inheritances, in which
he advocated a 100000 statutory limi-
tation on inheritances and gave as his
reasons for advocating it the following:
First, There is al the present day no
good purpose TO be served 10y giving man
power to transmit more than 100000
Second, The great power which great
wealth gives cannot be entrusted as safely
10 those who inherit the wealth as to
those who acquire it by their own exeFf
tons
Third. No vested right would be In
fringed and no injustice done to any one
by the proposed legislation"
Sensational journalism.
me ~ III pa du4l U.s. AIAtAI III e97D
citation was by Justice Brown Of The Unit
ed States Supreme Court. on The LIB
erty of the Press in which he severely
denounced what he termed sensational
journalism.
ugly stories are told" he said. "of the
methods resorted TO 10 create sensation
or to advertise a paper of correspondents
sent to Washington with Instructors 10
blacken the character of particular men
regardless of facts; of editorial space sold
for so much per lire; of spies put upon
houses to unearth domestic scandals, or
upon the steps of public men TO ferret
political secrets; of respectable women
detailed to walk the streets at
night, get themselves arrested as
disreputable and spend night in prison
for the sake of a startling article upon
the infamous prosecution of working wo-
men; of various other contrivances by
which reporters are sent not to invest-
gate facts, but to make a case by hook
or crook against some prominent Of
fetal. For the credit of humanity, not to
say for the honor of a great profession,
let us hope that these stories are untrue.
THE next step in their downward ca
reer was the. illustrations, and such IL
lustratons! Pictures of current events,
of battles, of murders and sudden deaths.
sCUHelllneS COPIED from PHOTOGRAPHS, OF
tener drawn from imagination"
All Of these extravagances eliminate
in the weekly Sunday morning editions.
If there be another worse than these the
mind Of man hath not hitherto conceived
them.
Probably no law could be framed which
could cover such cases. since matters of
taste are beyond the pulse of the law; but
it is TO be regretted that the great mass
OF the American people are so imperfectly
educated as to take pleasure in these abor-
lions of the engravers art.
Regulations Are Not safe.
But It is in its assaults upon private
character that the press is guilty of its
greater cruelties. for no other word in the
English language would adequately ex-
press the nature of these attacks"
Justice Brown recited the provisions of
the law of libel. and asked: Who shall
say that the citizen has any adequate pro
lection? Does NOT the press hold our rep
utations completely a. its mercy?
1T is exceedingly doubtful" he contin-
ued, III any legislation is practicable
which shall tend 10 restrict the excessive
license INDUCED in by newspapers"
In this inefficiency of the law as it
stands a present and the impractica bility
of further legislation We are confronted by
the fact that in this free country there
has grown up despotic, irresistible pow
er which holds our regulations complete
ly at its mercy No man occupied a po-
litical position by executive appointment
and few by election, who cannot be driven
from it by a combined attack OF two or
three influential journals WHO cue the
minor papers, only too ready to take up.
Under such circumstances what possible
course have we except TO make the best
terms with this power. and if we cannot
obtain justice, to crave its mercy"
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