The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-01-10

the cooperation of his associates
in the ditch company to work to this
end. The experienced irrigator
knows that being on the lower end
of a ditch is not without its troubles,
but many other men succeed in
worse predicaments than Machold
was in. He made demands when
requests would have been effective.
He brought suits in court when
spending the same amount of money
for water boxes or repairs on ditch
es would have been mor sensible.
He abused the officers of the ditch
company when a statement of his
case and a plea for a square deal
might have removed his grievances.
The writer went out to look the
situation over at Machold's request,
just ito be convinced as he express
ed it, of the villany of all the other
men interested in the ditch, and we
came away disguised, and convinced
of the untruthfulness or the insanity
of Machold, we could not decide
which it was. Soon after that, a
jury sat upon the case and at Mac
holds request the jury was taken
out to look we the fields before re-
firing to deliberate, and they prom
thy rendered a verdict against him.
In this last a witness was brought
from North Idaho at great expense
to the county, and although Mac
hold had always abused him, his
testimony was as favorable to Mac
hold as justice would permit and the
jury, after looking over the ground
agreed that it was a shameful waste
of money to have the cast in court
at all.
He generally had a case in court,
usually some contention over the
payments upon his farm, and he gen.
orally lost, but watching his cases
one must concede that he had no case
that he was suing for something he
was not entitled to. The net re-
suit would be that he had wasted his
money in court instead of paying on
his farm, and that he would gener-
ally be down on the court or jury
that sat in judgment in the case.
He generally had a disagreement
with his attorney during progress
of a case and we do not think there
is an attorney now in the district
who would care to take a case for
him or whom he would trust with
a case, for he has said repeatedly
that none of them can be trusted.
That statement might seem pretty
hard on attorneys but for the fact
that the rest of the public is getting
on with them so we'll.
Not all people are to 60 to the
court records to verify what they
hear or to see how the records COM
pare with current talk, and for the
convenience of those who want to
know just what the article is on
which MacHold was prosecuted for
criminal libel, we copy from "Ex-
hibit "a" in the case of Conger VS..
Younie and John G. Brown, the
number of the case being 1859.
The article was published in the
Pocatello Tribune of May IL, 1912,
at the request of Carl Machold, and
on his assurance that 1t was true.
AS there is much discussion just
now as to how much freedom the
press ought to be allowed we ask the
readers to consider whether it is q
useful freedom to any newspaper or
desirable to the public that any
body should he free to publish
such a series of false statements
and not be held accountable for the
abuse of that privilege. This is
the wording of the constitution re-
garding freedom of the press.
Every person may freely write,
print Or speak upon all subjects,
being responsible for the abuse Of
that privilege"
Here is what the article in the
Tribune said, the first being the
headings.
"ARE AFTER THE SCALP OF
DISTRICT JUDGE STEVENS"
''Dissatisfied Litigants Petition Gov
ernor Hawley to Investigate Some
Charges Against Blackfoot Jarist.