Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-07-14
pREss-MUzzL1NG.
Last Resort Of the Republican SIan-
ipulntors Results In Confound-
Ing the Brigands.

FOR nearly NAH ceHlury the state
of Pennsylvania has been ruled by
eonfederated scoundrels in the service
of confederated monopolists and in
the name of the republican party.
Political conditions have grown steadi-
ly worse and worse. until the entire
country has been shocked by the:
enormity of the corruption and plum
behring's of the Quay machine. 1t be-
came necessary, therefore, to prevent
publicity in order to perpetuate the,
power of the brigands, and hence the
Quay majority in the legislature at
its last session passed a bill for the;
protection Of corruptionists against
criticism and the suppression Of truth
by means Of radical changes in the law
of libel.
The object OF the, new libel law,
(which was signed by Gov. Pennypack-
~ on the 18th of May, is clearly two
fold-to terrorize the press and to re-
ward blackmailers and shysters. It
creates new artificial crime by re-
quirfng under penalty the name Of
the editor and the proprietor of every
periodical or newspaper to be con-
epicuously printed therein. It pros
yides for compensatory damages to
any person who may be made the VIC
tim OF mental or physical suffering"
by reason Of any negligent" publica-
ton whether true or false. 1t thus at
tempts to abrogate theestablishedl law
of libel which allows the truth to be
given in evidence on the plea of justi-
fication; which requires malice to be
shown except where falsehood is
proven-in which case malice is pre-
sumed-and which gives no damages
for mental or physical suffering, but
only for injury to Reputation" which
is treated as property. This remark
able change is the result of that part
Of the act which gives punitive dam
ages" to anyone who has been sub
jected to mental or physical suffer
Ing by reason of cartoons, or head
lines in large type, or other device
calling special attention to any all
legged delinquency of public officers.
The entire act is a penal statute in dis
guise and was born of the same princi-
pies and aims which gave rise to the
sedftion law passed by congress in
1898 by the federalists. And not since
the great campaign against that ORR
GUS act, conducted by Jefferson and
Madison, has there been more uni
Fersaf or indignant protest against
any act OF an American legislature
Even the republican newspapers de-
nounce it as an outrage. Gov. Penny
packer has been excoriated for sign
ing 1t, and ridiculed for his absurd at
tempt to justify its enactment. But
the governor is no more guilty than
the legislature which enacted it. He
has done no more than the federal
administration has done along the
same line. The odious Philippine se-
dition law, adopted by congress and
approved by the president, is indeed
Tar worse than this new Pennsylvania
sedition law. Gov. Pennypacker's rea-
coming in his remarks on the necessity
and utility OF the act might have been
borrowed from the answer of Secre-
tary Root in the mandamus case Of
Taylor VS.. Root, or even from the
opinion Of the court in that case. The
general trend of the official class I'M
der the republican regime is indeed
better exhibited by Gov. Pennypacker
and the Pennsylvania legislature than
It is by those newspapers which criti-
else them. In national politics Charles
Emory Smith has shown himself to
be precisely what Pennypacker is in
state politics. The medieval, mon
Archical and federalist spirit which
dominates the entire republican ma
chine is simply the essence Of the
new Pennsylvania libel law, as 1t is
Of all the federal laws passed by the
same machine. tits fortunate for the
country that Quay and his cousin, Pen
nypacker, have given us an object les
son in imperialism which even the
philadelphia press can understand;
and It Is reasonable now to hope that
the entire country may have its eyes
opened to the corrupt, domineering,
vicious policy of the republican party.
1t II reasonable, indeed, to hope that
In 1904 we may witness such revul-
sion OF public sentiment against fed
sraHsm and its methods of suppression.
and fraud as that which carried dem.
ocrat into the presidential Office in
$500.
Tarin, Praoas and Trusts.
Can the republicans afford to con
tinue their opposition to areyision Of
the tariff, when It is admitted that the