Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1913-01-08
A Free Press--A Free People.

- F'VS FtGoo"SN TV0G EBOpi9s
A muzzled newspaper is of no
benefit to the community that sup
ports it. 1t may be a successful
purveyor Of current news and its
readers may find it satisfactory as
compendium of information con-
corning the daily happenings at
home and abroad. But IL 1t does
not report, fully and accurately, the
official acts of the servants of the
people with sincere and honest dis
cussion of the effects of those acts
and the motives that inspired them,
1t fails OF its chief duty. This
semipublic quasi official character
Of the newspaper was recognized by
the fathers of the republic, as the
first amendment to the constitution
of the United States, adopted two
years after the first president took
the oath of office. provided that
Congress shall make no law
abridging the freedom Of the press"
Faithful discharge of this func-
ton is doubly important in a repre-
sentative government like ours The
representatives of the people who
are doing the peoples work in the
executive. legislative or judicial de-
partments of the government must
be rewarded or punished for the
manner in which they acquit them
selves OF their duties. Intimate
public knowledge of these official
acts, with the ultimate effects of
each and the motives behind them,
are essential to the distribution of
reward and of punishment. Only
through the newspapers can this
knowledge be gained by the great
mass of the people, and throttled,
terrorized or subsidized press is the
most powerful instrument that au-
toeracy can use to further Its ends.
The dishonest or incapable public
servant fears nothing so much as
publicity. For the newspapers at
titude he cares not at all. of the
public's opinion he recks much. The
certainty that his shortcomings,
whether of mediocrity or actual
eriminality, will be dispassionate-
ly spread before the gaze of his
constituents keeps him honest and
makes him careful. The newspaper
that he cannot substitute, control or
caiole, he endeavors to teryorize:
with its clarion voice hushed, he en-
Joys the fruits of malfeasanee and
immunity from punishment The
measure of the benefit to him of its
suppression is the degree Of injury
done to the people
As a mere agency for dissent
mating news, for selling current In
formation, the newspaper deserves
no special privileges and merits no
unusual protection; as the only in
strument by which the citizens may
inform themselves of the conduct of
public business, may learn how
their servants in office are using
the power delegated to them, the
newspaper must be guarded from
unwarranted Interference In the ex-
ercise of its most important func-
ton. To the extent that 1t per-
forms a public service. the people
should restrain those who conceal
their misdeeds by throttling the
only channel Of public knowledge.
OF fear that the insincere news
paper will overstep its bounds and
work injustice there need be little.
Every. citizen, whether high or low,
rich or poor, In office or out Of 1t,
is amply protected by the laws of
libel. Malicious and unjust publ
cations can be. and are. readily
punished by due process of law. The
newspaper is held to more strict
accountability than any other
agency before the people; although
gathering its news from various
sources, often from persons that
knowingly deceive for their own
purposes, the newspaper cannot
shift responsibility to them for the
errors that occur or the damage
done. When 1t degenerates liberty
into license. it can be promptly
penalized, it should have liberty
that it may serve the people that
St.pp0rt II