The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-22
Tucsday, December 22, 1908.
THE ELECTION COURT,


 papers of the state towards the ap- preaching election court is not easily squared with that sense of digniled respect which ought at all times to be manifested towards equally dignifed courts of law The election court ex- ceeds in dignity any of the courts be- low that of the superior court which of itself establishes what should be the general and specific attitude to- wards it. Its approach should be awaited patiently, and the work cut out for it should not be preiudged, as some newspapers have come danger ously near doing.
 The annoyance and irritation to which those named in the summons may have been subjected ought not in any way to influence a public consid eration of the court and its petitioner. It is well settled principle of juris prudence that a man is innocent until proved guilty. The law cannot and does not take into account the possible annoyance and irritation caused per sons proceeded against, contenting it. self with the knowledge that If their innocence is established, possible an- noyance and irritation becomes actual contentment and peace of mind In other words If the gentlemen who have been summoned into court are, as they claim to be, innocent of any wrong doing under the corrupt prac tices act, their examination will neccs- sarily result in vindication which will at once make worth while the annoyance and irritation to which they feel now they are subjected un reasonably. The studied attitude of The Journal-Courier has been, since the court was granted, that neither the guilt of the gentlemen named in the summons should be taken for granted because the court was created. nor that for the same reason the pc tltioner should be conceded q justih cation for the course he has pursued. The very existence of the court makes a suspension of judgment imperative
 In impulslvely declining to assume any such open minded policy, some of the newspapers have been guilty of what dangerously approaches, if it does not actually express contempt of court, while they have not hesitated to impugn false interests and motives to others for no other reason than that those others" were opposed to the election of MT. Lilley, and in spite of the fact that these others have been the very ones not to pre- judge either the complainant or the defendants We find, for example, in the columns of the Hartford Courant, these words "The New Haven Jour
  spokesman of the Fox element" etc. A flow days ago an obvious typograph- ical error in an editorial comment was maliciousy distorted to give the impression that this newspaper had preiudged the case in favor of the pc titoner The Journal Courier is not the spokesman of the Fox element, whoever may compose it. and has only done in this connection what every wideawalte newspaper has more or less unnecessarily done, uso the con ventional methods to induce Mir, Fox to take the public into his confidence as news enterprise.
 In other words the attitude of some of the newspapers of the state, in their partisan and personal sympathy for he parties named in the summons, have unjustly and unwarrantably kept under attempted public suspicion newspapers and individuals, which have scrupulously refrained from all comment whatever since the election, and which have no moro to do with MT. Fox's undertaking than the man in the moon. 1t is tbat fact which is not credItablc to the journalism of Connecticut IL is yet to be establish ed in this good old state that an inde-