Live Oak daily Democrat. (Live Oak, Fla.) 190?-190?, 1907-04-09
RESTRICTIONS OF THE PRESS.


in his biennial message to the legis
lature are proper and meritorious
but others are hardly feasible, and
one is evidence of his chagrin. The
. latter is that section wherein he
makessae shot at the newspapers and
asks the legislature to pass laws to
further restrain publications. 1t has
always been customary for news
papers to pass Judgment upon the
acts of public officials and to criticise
those believed to deserve criticism,
and this request of the governor that
this be no longer allowed is evidence
that he, as state officer, is entirely
too sensitive and cannot stand and
successfully refute the criticism aim
ed at him.
n. B. Broward, the private citizen,
has a right to object to harsh and
rough treatment at the hands OF the
editors, but his official acts are public
property. just as are those of other
officers. from the president of the
United States down to a district con-
stable.
To. discuss, approve and oppose Of
fetal acts and dOings of public ser
wants is one of the fundamental
rights vouchsafed to the people by the
laws OF our country. The watchful-
ness Of newspapers is one of the
strongest safeguards against wrong
doings in this country. There would
be thousands of more cases of mis-
feasance and malfesance than there
are were it not for fear of public ex-
posture, and many of the boldest
crimes of officials have been detected
through newspaper investigations and
pursuit.
There is already law on the sta
tute books of Florida which is unjust
and unfair to newspapers, and the
governor would have made friends,
or repealed, instead of recommending
in his message that it be amended
or repealed, instead of recommending
that the press be more firmly shack
led and deprived of its freedom and
rights
Governor Broward is a very diff |
ferent man as governor to what he |
was as captain of tug. He once ap- |
preciated newspapers, and they treat
ed him fairly, and now because a few :
have angered him as governor he /
wants the whole bunch put under a
law which would be detrimental to !
the best interests of the state. No
other governor has ever shown such
evidence of wincing under criticisms
of the press, and consequently have
not asked that they be restricted as
to publications. Nearly all of the
former governors have retired from
Office with the esteem and confidence /
of the newspaper men and are -oday !,
strong friends.
The members of the Florida Iegis-
lature know that no class of men /,
have worked harder and for less re-
Enumeration to develop and advance
the best interests of the state than
publishers of newspapers, and it
would, be the worst sort of ingratitu- i
de now to pass laws to further hum /.
lliate and to harrass them. The pub
fishers are mostly men of discre-
lion. They know right from wrong. &.
and while one or two may at times
1verstep the bounds of propriety, the
whole fraternity should not be made !
% suffer for these indiScretions; and .
{ is to be hoped that the recon-
nendations of the governor, to graft /
y his within. will not meet with favor !
IT even earnest consideration of the
aw-making power of the state
Jacksonville Metropolis. 1