Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-12-13
o0lindham County Reformer
BRATTLEBoRo, VT, FRIDAY DEC 49, 1901.
The Page-Livingston Suit.

Gov. Page gets the technical iudg
ment, but Judge Powers is shaking
his sides with satisfaction over the
verdict in the Page Livingston case, as
reported elsewhere, and it is worst
than Pyrrhic victory for Page With.
out disputing plaintiffs evidence,
claiming contract by which Living
ston was to be paid for publishing
matter in favor of Page for congress,
the latter's counsel moved for YER
dict on the ground that such con-
tract, even if made, was against pub
lie policy and not enforceable. The
court so ordered and now the case goes
to the Supreme court, because Pow
ers, as he says, wants. to get the trans
action branded by that tribunal and
this, was evidently, the purpose of'the
suit. 1t is claimed that Livingston
published only column and half of
clippings in favor of Page, and got
for it 800, for which he gave his note
and then rendered a bill for 5000,
crediting the SlO0 In the roundup
of the decision Livingston got his 500
note back, leaving that the amount of
his pay.
Judge Rowell in granting the motion
was properly very severe against all
parties. and his judgment is good in
law and morals, but if his published
opinions do him justice, he would
better have followed Lord Mansfield S
advice and rendered the Judgment
without giving his reasons. He bases
it on the ground that we ought to have
what is called the corrupt practises
act in England, because in Vermont
nominations settle elections and it is
there that corruption gets in its work
as is too true-and that the evidence of
corruption lay in the fact that Living
ston was publishing Democratic
paper and his expressions in favor of
a Republican candidate were calculat-
ed to carry peculiar weight. This
leaves it-and so far as appears the
opinion contains not a word to the
contrary that it is wrong only for a
Democratic editor to sell his support
The fact is that Livingston did or
attempted to do no more than has been
extensively done all round, consciously
or unconsciously, openly or under the
disguise of sample copy sales to
in this era of growing
pettiness in Vermont politics How
many of the Republican brethren of
the state press are there that haven't
been able to stitfen up their bank ac
counts out of each of these fights:
How many candidates in the past 90
years do you suppose there have been
that hav emit done to greater or less
extent what Page seems to have con-
fessed doing in the motion for ver-
dict, but which it is only fair to say,
in published statement since the /
rial, he denies intending to do, appar-
entity claiming that what is construed /
as an offer of money for support was a
sort of slip of the pen.
The morals of the matter are perfect
y clear. The newspaper or citizen,
or Democrat, that takes
oay for advice or advocacy on any pub
ic question sins against our institu
ions. And the worker who travels
,ver the hills caucus fixing sins exact
y like the newspaper that sells its
Import The sin lies in the false pre-
ense because the public is in effect
ssured that is not purchased support,
ike that of the lawyer before the jury
because it does not pretend to be other
han boughten, but is the sincere and
unbiased Judgment of the man or the
aper on matters affecting all equally.
The advertising columns of the news
aper are the only lawyer-like forum
t has. It's editorial columns are its
ulpit.
Judge Rowell is right in recognizing
hat there is woful need of a corrupt ,
ractises act in this state. But more
fficacious remedy would be a thor
ugh House Cleaning in our state pol
yics.
Meanwhile Livingston fatters him
slf, as he proclaims this week, that he 9
as done the state press one service, =.
| that all political deals in the future !,
ill be on the cash in advance plan! /
A new Philippine tariff is being ~