The Washington herald., 1909-02-21
THE PRESS CHALLENGE
The United States Government Freely Attacked
by Newspapers Century Ago.

Those who are more OF less familiar
with the history OF the newspaper read
ers. say. OF a century ago. there IS some
thing familiar in the libel suit brought
against the New York World By the Fed
eraI government. During The decade when
Philadelphia was the capital OF the na-
ton. and Congress sat in the city on the
Delaware. the newspapers then published
exhibited a partisan spirit at once SO viO-
lent in its demonstrations that libel suits
and personal encounters we're not IN
known. says the Philadelphia Public
Ledger
Modern readers Of newspapers may find
It difficult 10 understand the violence Of
the partisanship Of those days. This. as
has been related often resulted in per
sonaI encounters. Owing TO some We
hement language. assertions and innuen-
does made In their respective papers about
each other, Fenno OF the Philadelphia Ca
zette. and Benjamin Franklin Bache, Of
the Aurora, assaulted each other on
Fourth street one day in the year I7sS
On another occasion some officers Of a
military company which believed itself
libeled called on Bache and beat him at
his home; much the same thing happened
10 Fenno. who printed the FederaIlst
newspaper Bsche's Aurora was the Re
publican paper Of the time but the party
so called was not the ancestor Of the
modern Republican. but Of the Democratic
party. a name which does not seem 10
have been introduced into this country.
50 far as newspapers were concerned
uatl John Binns began his Democratic
Press in the early part Of the last cen
tUry.
In I7SS when politics. especially party
politics, were unusually violent the coun-
try was much concerned on account OF
the French revolution. France had sent
as minister 20 this country Genet. who
had more impUdence than tact He i'm
nediately was taken UP by the anti-Fed-
eralists and feted by the anti-sdministra-
tiOn party. the Republicans On the other
hand. he was coldly received by the Of
fcers Of the government. because he at
tempted 70 dictate how things should be
run here. There was a strong feeling Of
sympathy with the French here. some
/ good people insisting that the United
States should assist France in its struz-
gle with England. since the French had
+ come 10 our assistance during the RevOIu-
ton here. The city for a time went mad
with sympathy for the French The tri-
color was seen. and some persons who
should have known better DISPLAYED the
lcOckade- All this was most annoying 10
the administration. but. as Washington
was President the administration main
tained its dignity and held out against
popular clamor.
II was during this period that Con
gress widened the chasm between the
+ Republicans and the Federaiists. and
indeed. laid the foundation for the faIl
Of the latter party. In moment Of des-
= peratiOn it passed what Is known as
the sedition bill This act was passed in
July 1879, and was to continue in force
/ for two years. II is almost needless 10
relate that al attempts 20 re-enact il
failed. The most remarkable section Of
this act is that which casts aside the
liberty Of the press. which a free gov
: ernment should assume. and made il
possible for q prosecution 10 be directed
( against any person who libeled or de-
famed either Congress OF the President
1 in speech or in print.
The biz which was introduced in the
( Senate by James Lloyd Of Maryland
seems to have been the natural outcome
Of a Tory attack upon the editor Of the
Aurora, at that time BENJAMIN Franklin
/ Bache. 4 grandson OF the great printer,