The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-16
WOULDN'T HURT THE HICKORY
PRESS,

Had the Salus libel law of Pennsyl.
vania been in force in North Carolina for
the past ten years it would have put the
Raleigh News and Observer out Of bust
ness"
| The Salus libel law of Pennsylvania was
passed at the dictation of Quay, Penrose,
and other CRATER" politicians in Penn
sylvania as an attempt to silence the in
dependent and manly press of that State.
Such. papers as the Public Ledger, Re-
cord and North American OF Philadel-
phia, denounce the law as an attempt to
subvert the liberties of the press, and
all over the country the Pennsylvania libel
law has been denounced as along the
same line as the infamous alien and Sc
dition laws which destroyed the men who
were responsible for their passage The
News and Observer, the Public Ledger,
the Record, the North American and all
other plain spoken journals, great and
small, denounce such legislation because
it is vicious and dangerous, but no law
can put such papers out of business. When
the Presss gang was in power in North
Carolina, Radical scoundrels who had
been exposed by the News and Observer,
sought to overawe and terrify this paper
by piling up libel suits aggregating over
5000 against it. They had the
legislative, executive and judicial de-
partments of government, but they could
not silence the honest press of North
Carolina. 1t may be, if the gang had pass
ed the Salus libel law they might have
suppressed the truth about their scandals,
and continued in power a few years
longer, but North Carolinians would not
tolerate a law that strikes at the freedom
of the press. 1t is to keep the people in ig
ncfande of Quay corruption that the
''Salus libel law" was passed. No re-
spectacle journal or independent man in
America has failed to denounce it, and
all characterize it as legislation worthy
only OF the Dark Ages.
We win inform the Hickory Press that
abuse, no detraction,-such as has been
systematically directed at this paper be-
cause of its hostility to corporation
domination, CRATER politics, and the like
will put the News and Observer out of
business. In spite of all the attempts
made and with most injurious railroad
nHoJ
circulation in eight years has increaseG
from 1900 to 5000.
The Hickory Press win not live to write
the obituary of the News and Observer.
Since the above was written, we note
that the Philadelphia papers have resolv-
ed to defy the press muzzling political
bosses. They are printing cartoons that
truly depict the gang that is now in
power in the Keystone State, just as the
News and Observer did in North Carolina
in 1898 and 1900. In his message to the
Legislature advocating the press muz.
zling law, Governor Pennypacker thus de-
scribed a cartoon that offended him:
IAN ugly little dwarf representing the
Governor of the Commonwealth stands
on crude stool. The stool is subordin-
ate to and placed alongside of huge
printing press with wheels as large as
those of an ox-team, and all are so ar
ranged as to give the idea that when the
press starts the stool and its occupant
will be thrown to the ground. Put into
fho nrf0 IN ho rorlI
that the press is above the law and
greater In strength than the government.
In England a century ago the offender
would have been drawn and quartered al
his head stuck upon a pole without the
gates
/ century ago men might have been
drawn and quartered" for ridiculing an
unworthy public official in monarchy.
But this is the twentieth century in a
Republic. Venal Pennsylvania Republican
bosses cannot convert this into an eight
eenth century monarchy, with a muz-
zled press, as they are trying to do. The
constitutional guarantee of the freedom
OF the press (.hanks to Jefferson's fore
| sight) will stand superior to a Pennsyl
vania statute, called into being by the
rage of little rascals who use government
/ for their personal profit. Writing of the
Salus law, which the Hickory Press SENS
to approve, Mr.. e. A. Van Valkenburg
president of the Philadelphia North
American, says:
"The grotesque libel bill is the culmi-
nation OF long and arduous plotting by
the corrupt gang which rules this State,
and its sole object is the silencing OF the
North american It was forced
to passage in spite of protesting resolu.
tons from newspapers, trade associa-
tions, municipal bodies, ministerial and
religious organizations. - The Gov
| ernor's statement defies comment !"
I he pilloried dishonored criminals Of poll
tics are behind the press muzzling bill
| and the blistered vanity OF the Governor
has made him their willing accomphce.
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