Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-04-02

We hold now, and always will hold,
that too much latitude is often given
1.-THE press,n especially in smearing
slime We hold that mans name is
as much part of him as the skin
which covers his body, far more than
the clothes he wears or the house in
which he lives. These can be changed
at will, his name, We may say, never.
Along with that name goes his reputa-
ton. These are inseperable. You may
see man and he looks fair, hear his
name and he becomes a fend. His
name, as much, if not more than his
person, must therefore.be protected by
him, because with that name goes his
reputation, his estimate in the world.
This being so it is far more pardonable
to take the man and roll him in slime
than to take his name and befoul II.
If the man is set upon and his name is
unknown he can ''wash and be clean. "
If his name is begrimed, the man Is
forever polluted.
II could hardly be contended that if
an editor would go into the presence of
an individual and pelt him with rot
ten eggs, he would not take the risk of
being killed. 1t can hardly be con-
tended that if he could go to the home
of such person and bedaub his house
he would certainly take long chances.
If there be person who does under
take to besmear the garments of per-
son with rotten eggs, would he excuse
himself, if injured in so doing, by say
Ing that the eggs could have been easily
washed off, or that the odor was not
offensive, after one became used to it !?
Yet in this celebrated case man of
gest education and learning, knowing
perfectly right from wrong, knowing
the effect of his acts and their natural
consequences in the community where
in he lived, took occasion to besmear
the character of another. lie did it
until it became known throughout his
community, and his State, he did it
publicly, and published his doing every
morning before breakfast, and spread
a fresh story Of his manner of pollution
on the breakfast table of almost every
citizen of Tennessee, and possible be-
fore thousands elsewhere. His atten-
tlon was called to his deeds by friends
of both without effect, indeed more
slime was used afterward than before
and used maliciously. 1t makes no
difference whether Carmack was told
of the effect of his ''rotten eggs" on
Cooper or not, he knew their odor, he
knew they were not intended to be as
myrh and frank insence, he intended
that they should be odoriferous, as in
tensely nauseous as he could-m make
them, and if they lacked any element
to give them the intended stencil, Mr..
Carmack was careful to add it if he had
it. Having at last been told that this
rotten egging had gone on until if not
stepped the town would not be large
enough for both, he defiantly SHE'D
more egges with the expression s'well
here it goes again." here goes more
filth, slime, eggs, or some similar ex-
preston. But we are told by the news
papers and the court that this did not
warrant killing. Maybe not. This
may be good law, we doubt it. This
law has arisen largely from the cries
by newspapers for ga free press" it
has come largely from the courts not
taking care Of the name of person as
they profess to take care of his person.
1t seems therefore that they have failed
to weld the two together and hold that
the one is counterpart of the other, and
to treat both as sacred, which justice and
good law demands.
When the courts have more carefully
and better considered this class of cases
and given to a mans name the place it
should enjoy among his inalienable
assets, they will, we believe, material
ly change the present rule, and will
deny any man the right to besmear a
name either with ribaldry, derision,
contumely or ridicule, much less false
hood. They will, in time, we believe,
be far more lenient toward the man
who, bounded by some spiteful owner
or editor of newspaper, thereby gets
into personal alteration with him,
and possibly kills him, on the princi-
pie that the befouler OF the name by
the unwarranted throwing of "rotten
eggs" had entered sanctuary inyio-
liable. Carmaek wrought his own des-
truction. He did it in full knowledge
of the risks, and evidently eourted the
outcome. There can be only small
pity for man who erects his own flu
neral pyre, especially when erected out
of the kind of material used by Mr..
Carmaek.