The Washington times., 1916-02-04
Georgia Editor Denies Right to
IndiCt Him Away From His
Own State.
CoNGRESSMEN ALSO OBJECT
Send Letter to Attorney General
Defending State-GregOry in
Doubt Of Getting Fair Trial.

AUGUSTA. Feb. 4.-Thomas e. Wat
son, threatened with indictment and
trial in a Federal district outside OF
Georgia on a charge of having melted
the lynching of Leo M. Frank by ar
tlcles in his papCr, the Jeffersonian, has
issued a Rtntcment in part, as follows:
Tho Jefiersonian Publishing Company
Is a GreoRia corporation whose place OF
business has been Thomson ever since
1t was chartered. i am it's president,
and the vice president is J. J. Brown,
who is also president of the Farmers
Union. IL has a board of directors con-
tanning such citizens as the Hon. Fred
d. Wimberly, OF Cochran; DIR. c. II.
Kitterell, OF Dublin; +. ID. Daniels, OF
La Grange; q. =. Lee, of Thomson, and
Others. ELy assistants in editorial work
tlc MIS- ~. L.. LNtliC, formerly ~ the
Brunswick Journal, and J. ID. Watson,
my son. The naming has always been
uonc uIrectIy from the printing plant.
'1nC heat 20 tRke out OF
Georgia lUr trial really means That an
Upi,oI tunity Is Wdn,eu IN treat me witn-
Oh. trial IN the game way that Frank
was treated after ne had been tried
and convicted III all the courts. il an
edilOr can bc indicted in California for
publishing an article in Maine, none OF
us would be Safe from ruinous prose-
cution President Roosevelt was Ee-
to bring editors out Of thoir 3 S-ates for
trial in the District af Columbia. II
PRESIDENT Wilson Undertakes to do what
President Roosevelt tIiCd and failed at
the Democracy Ct the Republic Will te
given a rare object lesson.
"rhero are two questions whic;t Will
BE- asked by all fair-minded people. fir. t,
why am / held solely and personally
there are many officers equally TespOn-
siEle? Second why is il that the Gov
ernment's pretended efforts to purge
and purify the mails aimed at no pub
ltcations cxccrtir. those which COMBAT
tho Catholic church" Not cniY the
freedom of the press, but the perSonal
liberty of every citizen is at staie in
this threatened procedure.
''TBCMAS f. WATSC NJ
w. H. Fleming, one Of MIR. 'Watscn's
counsel. wired Congressman Adumson
Thursday as follows:
please call attention of Department
of Justice to decision in rs Federal
Reporter, Page s02, showing no juT-
isdiction to indict Watson where mail
delivered-offense not being continu-
ing one from pl1Se of deposit to place
OF delivery. Why does not the Gov
ernment indict Atlanta newspapers
for publishing and mailing same de-
tails of Frank case as we'll as Wat.
son? Locks like a clear case OF per-
in morals, and Yretched blundering
against the pea6e and good feeling
among the citizens of our State. If a
Federal district Judge should be found
to sustain Jurisdiction outside place
of deposit of paper in RAILS, the Su-
preme Court would reverse But in the
meantime Watson would be exposed
to unjust hardship, physical, mental.
and financial. II this last threat Cf
prosecution outside of Georgia is car
'ried into execution II will be difficult
for the general public to understand
'She motive. Please show this teIe-
am to the other members OF the
'use delegation from Georgia."
Officials of the Department of Justice
are today considering a formal protest
against the plan to seek an indictment
in some other State against Thomas E.
Watson, of Georgia, for alleged viola
ton of the postal laws in circulating
obscene matter regarding the Leo NJ.
Frank case.
At a meeting of the delegation it was
decided to send letter. signed by each
Georgia member of the House. The
letter says. in part:
We appreciate your high character
and ability. as well as your desire to
dO vOIi1 6utV Von The