Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1905-03-17

a country newspaper man breaks Into
the legislature, il is usually after Il
bi,te fight at the polls. There is
seldom Il walk-away for Il member Of
the profession when he seeks IL noln
nal ion ur an office. There are bunk
ers aud lawyers galore, but few news
paper men. IN the legislature. Many
Of them are clerks-al of them bet ter
qualified 10 make laws than IL large
proportion of the senators and repre-
Sentatives; but the feeling against
the country press, because Of the un-
fair and unLrutllful rnaslS of Il few Ut
its members, has it's Influence against
every country publisher who seeks pn.
litical preferment, and against every
newspaper measure that comes up
for passage.
The old law did little in the way of
prevention. It's provisions were such
that, upon cnnvicliun, IL friendly
judge could limit an Offenders pun
i>l,menL to a dollar tine and day in
jail. And The tine and costs could-be
made up by The other members of a
libelOus conspiracy. Great recum.
pense, indeed. for some lying news
paper assault that has put tllruglIts
OF manSlaugl:ter in the MUD of the
victim!
Under the old law, also, publisher
might plead that olle or more of his
employees had published the libel
without authority. This was-a very
convenient arrangement TO the libel
ing publisher, but not very sAli,fac
tory to The libelee.
In introducing the bill which is
now a law it was our idea that il.
would DC a good tiing rol some of us
Ln moderate Il little our "StreuuOSity"
in the way Of personal criticism aud
abuse. We believed that it would
modify the lang, ag al times used by
s"me Of US IN discussing the sllOrtcon-
ings 0f our ''esteemed contemporaries. -
We believed that it would do much
to eliminate Or tone down The long
drawn-"ut rows between local news
paper competitors uf which the peu-
pie Of mAny communities are "sck
and tired" IL was intended To bt
m"re in ii,e nature of Il preventive
than a punitive measure. We asSulr.
ille scared" edituls uf our State CO.
empurtrirs that they ar. not Il whit
more anxious to keep out of the peni-
enlia,y THAI we ar@. Aud. ii SON,
ut lheAndny bright mcu III our rank
would devote less al lenii,ul IT, break
ing into The pen aud more to breaking
INFO The legislature, it would be bet
Ter for future newspaper meaSHre
and for tile general ci,arac; er Uf TIL
legislatiOn.
u We do not believe that one .Nnrtl
t. Dakota newspaper man will during
y The. next Two years take board will
Warden Boucher under the SJrecte
) IibeI-law. It. was introduced by
e newspaper man who has no banker
i ing for i,,carcerai ion in the dOnjn
I keep, but whu believes The great put
e lie, as we'll us Il few libeling editor.
& has some rights. It was passed by
:, senate and house composed largey,l
u farmers. 1t was signed by a guveruo
Y whose entire ambition is To serve TN
II people faithfully aud we'll. It mus
a stand or fall on its merits. Shull
!. II do what its friends claim for it,
u will Stand. SIn,uld the comments q
Il its opponents prnve to be prophetic
1 il will surely fall. And should il fai
" to do what we believe it will, an,
!, Pmvidence-nr, rather, enough vote
u give the writer membership in tn
next huuse, no one would be NOR
ready and willing IT, give the stalui
parting kick than the bucnlc scrib
e who faLIlered it.
I'll But 10 all fair minded people
:. lues.u'tit seem that The Eargu Eul',i
has about the ighi idea of the mat
ter, as shown in he fnllnwin. excerpt
! "rhe new libel law is provoking c,n
l. siderable diScussiOn. L. makes libt
:. u felony III place Of Il mIsdrnraiul
There Is no reference in it to Il
oppnrlunity fur an editor t., rrtracl
u There Is no occasion, huwever, for til
y proprietor or editor Ut any repulabl
new wspaper to worry over lie law.
ii mistake Is made and something az
u prars which brings the publicaLiu
Is under the law. aud reasonable slel
IF are taken Il, count erict the effect {
!. sncll a ptit,licl, i'm, M Jury would cn
vict Slicila publisher on tie cllarg
uf felony. Ii tile newspaper make
II II praclice uf i,s.Ii,g Slirtl articles. tit
l. situation would lM. different. Fa
!. criticism iS within the pruvi,,ce OF
iieWSpapef, hut Tie more VII ul,erat IN
~ and umlOumdrt abuse is shut Out {
y Tile public press. The nlnre The new
IL papers will t,e resp 'cted by tile cu,l
IL muui.ieS Il, willcii they Circulate
lei THERE Is some inquiry as IT, Wlletl
er the bill allowing honest caders
file on $40 acres uf land IN certain s
IL called semi-arid regions became a la,
~ IL did not. 1t was ule Of the mass
IL bills that died wllei, tile recent ter
VI Of congress expired.
IN ALL over the state the idea Of VI
.m ing names 10 the farm homes Is grO'
he Ing. A name for = farm tends To
I'd the idenli ily nf the place, Just as lido