Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-10-17
CRIMINAL LIBEL
COMPLAINT
TOU VELLE FILED CHARGES OF
CRIMINAL LIBEL AGAINST
BERT X. GREER.
CASE IS BROUGHT IN MEDFORD
The Editor of the Tidings Is Now
Constructively in Durance Vile
But Is Still Fighting for What He
Thinks Is Right.

Bert X. Greer is now constructive
ly in Jail for criminal libel. TIL,
complaint was made by Colonel F. L
TouVelle, candidate against Georg,
Dunn for county judge.
1t is a common thing for candi
dates to bring libel suits against
newspaper men who have the cour.
age to fight in the interest of the
people. 1t is the last demonstration
In losing cause. 1t is done but ia
gain sympathy for the candidate.
The Tidings editor has been fight
ing for what he believed the best
interests of the community in which
he resided for the past thirty years.
He has been sued for libel twenty
two times. Every time by candidates
during the heat of a campaign. Fif-
teen of these suits were withdrawn
Immediately after the election and
before they came to trial, thus show
ing that they were brought merely
for political effect, five of them
went to trial and resulted in YER
dict for the editor, and two of them
went against the editor with a pen
atty of one dollar and costs, which
was equivalent to verdict of techni-
cal libel, but justiflable.
Therefore libel suit does not
much frighten him. He does not ex-
pect to be frightened in the least by
this suit.
AS long as men hold the view that
public office is a private snap, that
the public treasure is legitimate
spoils, that it is all right and respec-
table to dip into the public treasure
as deeply as may be, that it is the
height of political sagacity to con-
troll public officers in order that an
unfair advantage may be gained to
certain parts of community at the
expense of other sections, we say, so
long as these exist the Tidings editor
expects to continue to write on issues
and candidates without fear or favor,
libel suits or no libel suits.
The Tidings does not wish to do
any man an injustice, but it does not
intend to sit quietly by and see the
citizens in the community where it
circulates exploited through corrup-
tion or looted by bad management
without crying out against it.
The Tidings has made no charges
of corruption against any man in
Jackson county, nor will it, unless it
has the evidence to prove it. But
1T does protest against the legiti-
mate looting of the county treasury
in the interest of a locality and the
laxity with which the public business
is handled.
The Tidings says the building of
the Ray boulevard at the expense of
the taxpayers of Jackson county-a
highway that accommodated practi-
cally none of the taxpaying citizens
except the Gold Ray Power Company
was in effect a reckless looting of
the public treasury.
The Tidings takes the position that
for the county court to agree to put
ting $4,000 of the county money
into the construction of a bridge in
the corporate limits of Medford, con-
trary to law, while the. roads of the
county, upon which the money was
legitimately needed to be expended,
are totally neglected, is equivalent to
looting the public treasury in the in
terest of locality
And be it here at once understood
that the Tid'ngs is not opposed to
the building of the Medford bridge.
We are willing that the city should
have as many bridges as it needs or
wants. For all we care it can put
as many frills or furbelows on it as
1t pleases. 1t can build it of steel
and concrete, one hundred feet wide,
with cement chandeliers every three
feet. 1t can equip it with street car
tracks for future emergencies. 1t |
can floor it with concrete, or with |
battered brass, or gold, If it likes.
IL Is Medford city bridge, and as |
long as the taxpayers of Medford |
want it and pay for it, we have no |
desire to complain. But we do COM
plain If such expense is saddled onto |
the taxpayers outside of Medford, |
contrary to law, and without their
consent.
We think that to spend all of the |
county money on roads leading into
the heart of one city is in effect loot
ing the county treasury in the inter-
cts OF one locality at the expense of
every other section of the county.
and 1t will not cease to protest
against men and measures SO long
as such abuses exist, libel suits or no
libel suits.
The Tidings does not charge Mr..