The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-04-05
NEWSPAPER
COMMENT
What They Think and Say Of Gov
ernOr's Proposed Newspaper
LEGISLATION.

kNBASAoh"As
A Pennsylvania legislator has intro
duced bill giving an offended citizen
the right to kick the editor, while the
Governor of Florida would like to see
the editor handled in court if he pub
hshed anything about public official,
or a person desiring to become a public
official, commonly known as a candidate,
other than the truth. the whole truth
and nothing but the truth.
As a general thing the person or per-
sons who have longing to "kick, " or
handle the newspaper man in the
courts, is when the truth is told. The
truth is generally the very thing poll
tician does not care to have look him in
the face, and it is not pleasant and
profitable to always speak the plain
truth in the columns of newspaper.
Men who have tried this heretofore
have always come TO grief. Only q few
days ago the editor of a paper IN lndi-
ana grew tired of being called liar,
and announced that he would tell the
truth in the future, and the next issue
of his paper contained the following
news notes;
town, made trip to Belleville yester-
HJohn Coyle, our groceryman, is do
| ing a poor business His store Is dirty
and dusty; how can he do muchl
"Rev. Styx preached last Sunday
night on Charity. The sermon was
s'Dave sOnkey died at his home in
this place. The doctor gave It out as
heart failure. Whiskey killed him.
Married Miss Sylvan Rhodes and
James Oonlin, last Saturday at TIE
Baptist parsonage, The bride y a very
ordinary town girl " no doesn't know
any more about cooking than a jack
rabbit does. and never helped her
mother three days in her lie. She h
not a beauty by any means, and has q
gait like q duck The groom is an mp
to-date loafer. He's been living of the
old folks al his life, and Is not worth
shucks, > will be q hard life.
The Governor of our great State,
very Urinary man, and who was
elected d accident, was here .yester-
day. He has very few friends here
now, He nromised some Of the voters
of this precinct a piece of the pie In
event OF his tlection, but had forgotten
ALI about it when the time TO hand over
the little Office rolled around.
The paper ~ sooner reached the pub
lie than q committee was sent 70 the
editor bearing petition asking him TO
continue in the good old way, and stat
ing that they believed him TO be q
truthful, honest man.
AS a matter q fact the newspapers
often saw some very nice and compll-
mentary things about politicians, and Y
is 1t always the.truth-that is It would
be hard to prove IL TO be true In court
of Justice. They eometimes say some
thing about a politician that is consid-
cred by said politician utterly untrue
and without foundation. Yet II may be
true as gospel, and at the same time
impossible to prove the truth IN court.
In the opinion Of the Democrat the
usefulness Of the press should not be
further crippled with laws restraining
publicity. The criminal and civil heel
laws of this State are strict enough
goodness knows, and the punishment
great enough to prevent the newspapers
from publishing untrue and damaging
statements II they 80 desired, NOT only
against office-holders and candidstesi
but against any and all citizens o. the
State. Live Oak Democrat.
|