The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-02-04

From the many columns of COM
ment by newspapers on the govern
ment's libel suit directed against the
New York World the Amer can Press
reproduces the following:
New York World:
If every editor who has criticised the
administration for seeking to apply to
the twentieth century press the eighth
zenith century gag laws of British
kings must pay the true penalty Of his
atrocious crime, the jail vans will be
crowded.
British Law Journal, London:
There are ample justification and
precedent for proceedings for libel by
or on behalf of a government.
Whatever else may be said of the pro-
ceedings, the United States govern
ment cannot be charged with an inni-
walton or want of legality in any act on
against those responsible for charges
of corruption in what was undoubted-
ly an act of state.
Worcester (Mass) Post. Qnd.):
The comment of the British Law
Journal that the prosecution finds "am-
pie justification in the common law"
shows how the issue reaches to the
very pillars of the republid Common
law jurisd elton for federal courts was
part of the project to distort our I'M
situations out of republican shape that
included the alien and sedition and
Thomas Jefferson and the democratic
party fought the whole scheme and in
sisted that such jurisd' ction was safe
nowhere but in state courts. They won
For more than 100 years it has been
a settled principle which Roosevelt
now attacks in its vitals.
Sioux Falls IS. d. Argus-ueader
Rep):
Newspaper publishers generally will
protest against libel suits inst tuted
by the government. Followed up the
precedent could be made to work
great ultimate harm to the privilege of
free speech.
New York Globe Rep):
For century and more-since the
repeal of the seditiOn law, whose enact
ment wrecked the Adams administra-
ton and destroyed the federal party
the country has quietly reposed
in the. belief that the govern
ment could not be libeled-that
it was perfectly safe to say all manner
of disagreeable things concerning it,
If this notion is wrong and anything
said in disrespect or ridicule Of these
United States is crime, Vt is manifest
that~the number of criminals has been
very large. If assault on men in office
is to be construed as, assault on the
government and as such punishable,
our political campaigns have been one
long orgy of crime.
Philadelphia Record Und.):
If all this We're true there would not
be the slightest reflection upon the
Tn ted States government. The yarn
does not even reflect necessarily upon
Messrs. Robinson and Taft. But if it
did it would not support the prepos-
| ferrous idea that the United States has
been libeled The brother in-law of
the president and the brother of the
president-elect do not constitute the
government or even any minute portion
thereof. 1t is not certain that they
lhave been beled. 1t is ridiculous to
pretend that any story about them is
libel on the government.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican Ond.-
Rep):
Few people could have believed such
a development possible in free Ameri-
| ca as government prosecution of a
| newspaper for libel upon the govern
ment, but here are the plain indica-
tionS of it.
Pittsburg Chron Gle Telegraph:
President Roosevelt has undoubtedly
had great provocation from the news
papers that have alleged misconduct
in the Panama canal affair. He has.
however, already pilloried the offend
ers and the wisdom of going further
and using the federal power to destroy
them in the courts of law looks like
crushing a gnat with a trip hammer.
Charleston IS. c. Post. Oem.):
The idea of just flying the good faith
and the fair name of the United States
by a suit for libel in court probably
never occurred to other mortal than
Theodore Roosevelt, and for the reason
no doubt that no other mortal man but
MI Roosevelt ever thought he embod
feo In himself the national dignity and
the national honor as well as the ma