The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-08-14

tor, E. T. Leech of the Memphis Press
is about to spend ten days in Jail for.
publishing an editorial attack on NIL
itical corruption.
Leech's editorial named no person,
referred to no judicial case; vet a To-.
cal judge, Israel Peres, understood it
as rejecting on him, and ordered the
editors arrest and conviction on a
charge of contempt Of court.
This is one of long series of ill.,
dicial attempts to muzzle newspapers,
and in some respects it is the most
glazing of any. We recommend to
congress an immediate investigation
of such judicial tyranny and terror
cation. KIN
Many of our readers will recall the
nationwide interest that was aroused
back in 1913 by the attempt Of Kan
sas City Judge to railroad the famous
William R. Nelson, 76-year-old editor
of the Kansas City Star, to Jail. for
printing the news that this Judge had
permitted attorneys fees to take pre-
cedence over alimony in a divorce
suit. &'
Many will recall the attempt to
place Editor Charles H. Clogston of
Terre Haute, Ind, in Jail for exposing
the crookedness of a political gang
many of whose members in and out Of
Office afterward served richly de-
served terms in the federal peniten-
tiary at 'Leavenworth.
Many will remember the fine that
was levied on Editor Negley D. Coch-
ran of the Toledo News Bee in 1914
for presuming to publish articles on
the local street car situation while a
case involving the street car system
was before the United States district
court. w, =
This Memphis case is a fragrant a
case of judicial usurpation as the
worst of the other three.
It dates back to July, 1918.
The people Of Memphis and Shelby
county, Tenn, were aroused by politi-
cal conditions there. A campaign was
on, and judges, among other officials.
were to be elected the following
month. p =
Two tickets were in the field-one
the gang ticket, and one ticket sup
ported by citizens movement that
aimed at driving the bosses from
power.
The Memphis Press and the Mem
phis Commercial-Appeal were sup
porting the citizens movement-fght-
ing for American democracy against
a political despotism.
On July 20, 1916, the Memphis
Press printed an editorial headed sThe
Shame of It ALL" which started off
by saying Fright will ultimately tri-
umph in Memphis" which mentioned
no judge and no case before any court,
but which contained these paragraphs:
"Even courts have been brought
into disrepute, and judges have aban-
doned the principles of loyalty and in
tegrity, have made a farce of the
laws they swore to enforce, have
dragged their own courts into the
mire; have turned traitors to their
friends and supporters and enemies to
the principles they protested, because
politicians have laid their hands on.
them and forced them to do their bid
ding" q.
1T is a shameful thing to see a,
court dishonor and a man disgraced to
serve the ends of political self-seek-
ers," : f5l
There was no attempt in this edi-.
torial to influence any court in any
case. There was no reference
to any court or to any pending case.
There was no tendency to obstruct
the administration of justice. There
was no likelihood of bringing court
into public contempt-UNLESS 1T
TO BE A CONTEMP-
TIBLE COURT.
But Chancellor Peres, Chancellor
Israel A. Peres, who happened to be
candidate for re-election-aboard. the
gang ticket-thought the editorial
Shoe fitted him, and so he put it on. =
He had just decided, in favor of the
ruling political gang, a political case
that kept the gangs election commits
sioner in Office.
And this chancellor, or judge, had
the editor of the Press cited before an
associate Judge for contempt of court:
The editor was found guilty and
sentenced to jail. He began serving
his sentence yesterday.
This is A CLEAR CASE OF JU-
DICIAL TYRANNY.
If judges can get away with de-
spotic acts like this, freedom Of the
press is dead; and when freedom of
the press dies, freedom of the people
goes into the same rave.-Bismarck
Tribune.