The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-13
Gov PeRnypacker Approves the Now Famous Grady Sa|us
 Libel BiII
GIVES REASONS FOR HIS
 ACTION IN LONG REVIEW
He Says Cartoons and Inflammatory utterances In Newspapers Were
 Prlm;.ry Cause of Two Pres
 Idents Being Assassinated.

Harrisburg Pa, May Ex-Governor Pennypacker approved the Grady-Salus libel bill today and at the same time is- sued a long statement, giving the reasons for his action. The bill, which was in the governors hands for more than month, goes into effect immediately and repeals all laws inconsistent with the new act. M
 The governor says in his statement that the questions raised by the bill are of very grave importance, and affect large busi- ness interests, the freedom of speech and the press; the right of the citizens to be informed concerning current affairs and the conduct of government as we'll as his right to protect his reputation and home from the injuries that arise from careless or negligent as well as malicious false reports.
 In his opinion they are of importance for the further reason that whichever way decided, the fact that they are raised, indicates a widespread dissatisfaction with existing conditions and the direct decision is likely to have an effect within and without the commonwealth. They are deserving, therefore, of the most care ful consideration and the conclusion un- affected by any personal feeling and un- swayed by any fear of personal conse- quences, ought to be reached upon the high plane of what will be the best for the people.
 Can Give Proper Information.
 The governor claims there is nothing in the terms of the measure which prevents any newspaper from making such com ment upon legislative measures, or upon the official acts of the state, municipal, county or public officers, as are proper information for the public, or are in the line of legislative public discussion. Con- tinuing, he says:
 .sThe bill in it's application Is not con- fined to officials but affects citizens as well as the business man whose conduct constitutes no part of the right of the public to information. The corporation officer who has been falsely charged with crime. the manufacturer who has been falsely accused of being a drunken braw- Ter the woman whose domestic griefs have been unfeelingly paraded or whose chastity is improperly suspected; the stu dent who has been falsely accused, the clergyman who has been cruelty ma ligned; the person whose peace Of mind has been destroyed by the publication of evil gossip; the merchant whose credit has been affected by groundless rumors; l the sufferers from reckless but not neces- sarily malicious publications, are given l the right not to prohibit publication, but to recover the damages which they have sustained provided they prove negligence or lack on the part of the publishing newspapers All these are instances Of what has in fact recently occurred. Gives Recent Incident.
 within a few days. in a leading article on the first page of daily journal under large lines. upon rumor of unknown source as to the name of the suggested appointee to the position of prothonotary | of the Supreme court, when no appoint ment had been made and no utterance, l official or otherwise, had emanated from any member of that court that high trib- unal was subjected to a covert assault under the words .machine after control of the Supreme court A mayor of our chief city has been called traitor; senator of the United States has been denounced as "a yoker with sodden brain; and within the last quarter of a century two Presl- dents of the United States have been mur- dered and in each instance the cause was traced to the inflammatory and careless newspaper utterances. A cartoon in daily journal of May defines the ques- tion with entire precision. An ugly little QWdTI representing llc SONciHO1 LII lHS commonwealth stands on a crude steel The steel Is subordinate to and placed alongside huge printing press with wheels as large as those of an OK team, and all are so arranged as to give the idea that when the press starts the stool and It's occupant will be thrown to the ground.
 Press AII-Powerfui.
 Put into words, the cartoon asserts to the world that the press is above the law and of greater strength than the government No self-respecting people will permit such an attitude to be long maintained In England a century ago the offender would have been drawn and auartered and his head stuck upon pike at the gates. In America today this Is the kind of arrogance which goeth be- fore fall"
 The governor says If such abuse of privileges allowed to the press is to go unpunished, if such tafes are permitted to be poured into the ears of men and to be profitable, 1t is idle to contend that the reputable newspapers can maintain their purity"
 He also says that many years experi- ence on the bench has led him to the conclusion that crimes are widely propa- gated not by the malice but by the reck- lessness of the press. and that in certain class of cases, among them murder, the accused were at times convicted or ac- quilted before they reached the court r0oun