Evening star., 1926-03-24

The attempt of a Mississippi judge
TO prevent newspapers circulating in
his county from printing the testi-
mony in a case on trial has resulted
in a vigorous defense Of the liberty of
the press. The court maintained that,
as several cases were related, the eVi-
dence should not be printed. The pa
pers successfully detied the order. The
comments on the subject extend to
similar practice, in many courts,
which emphasizes the objection to
reading of reports by jurors.
"A Mississippi judge says the
Meridian Star, issues an edict for the
suppre Ssion of news. and 10. the very
news the learned judge wishes to sup-
press spreads 10 every corner of the
Nation. Our Gulf Coast murder trial
| would hardly. OF itself. attract at,en-
ton beyond the Gulf counties. but the
| judge issues an edict TO keep the
news from the public. and the murder
trial becomes first-page headlines
| throughout all the land. 1t simply can't
be done-that's all. When any one in
authority tries to suppress news. he
succeeds in creating more news. At
tempts to abridge the constitutional
! freedom of speech and Of press never
succeed. They never have and they
never will"
i: 4 X x
! Comparison with a New Jersey Incl
, dent Is made by the st. Paul Pioneer
Press. In an attempt to suppress
news and pictures of their own brutal
treatment of striking textile workers,
/ the police of Passaic and Clifton at
| tackled and beat newspaper photuS-
raphers and reporters with clubs. Al
Bay St. Louis, Miss. a judge attempts
| to establish his right to iinprison
! newspaper men who do not submit to
| his censorship of news. Judge White,
who Is responsible for the Mississippi
! affair, is breaking no heads, but we
are inclined to think that his brand
of news suppression is the greater
menace to liberty of the two. The
Cossacks of Passaic broke a few
cameras and raised ID few bumps, but
that sort Of thing is so crude that II
defeats it's own purpose. Nhen star
| chamber legal inquiries are made the
rule, American liberty will be at an
end
! The New London Day feels that the
; Mississippi case Is sufficiently lmpor-
| tant to warrant a test and holds that
''the failure of Judge White to insti-
tute a prosecution inmediateiy y
lamentable. The ISSUE" continues the
Day. 'is one which should be threshed
ont and that most completely. If the
man is right, if he has the authority
he seems to think he has, he has
! abused it shamefully, and the author
lity should be taken away from him.
! =; x X X
| "The Constitution" according to the
I Houston Chronicle, clearly and Spc'
| officially guarantees a public trlai 10
| every person accused Of crime, and the
| indge had no more right to forbid the
| newspapers to print the testimony
| than he had to forbid the people VINO
heard the public trial to repeat 1t Dy
word of mouth. No judg dge has the
right to interfere with or in any wise
restrict the freedom of the press, sc
long as it makes a fair report or the
proceedings and makes no unwarrant
| cd reflections on the judge The
| Wheeling Intelligencer cOmmends the
Mississippi press because without ex'
ception it very properly and vigorous
lv criticized Judge White, who dele
GATED to himself autOcratic powers
The common rights guaranteed tt
every American" the Wheeling paper
adds. "of which none is more sacred
| than free speech and q free press
cost too much in heroes blood ant
| centuries of human struggle to be an
nulled or abridged by the whim o!
any Individual" The New York Eve
ming Post concludes that "it is moi
surprising that the newspapers having
a circulation in Hancock County
! Miss.-those with the widest being
published in New Orleans-printed as
| much Of the testimony as they would