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Show THE CASE OF PUBLIC DUTY. Mr. William R. Jones, Jr., has sued Tho Salt Lako Tribune, its manager and ono of Its writers, , for tho sum of $125,000, on account of alleged libel. To defend such suits is the common lot of a newspaper faithful to the public Interest, and Tho Trlbuno Is prepared to perform this part of Its duty. Every dollar which Is paid to a newspaper news-paper for subscription by its readers is a retainer fee. Tho consclentloun and intelligent in-telligent public In supporting a. dally Journal, do so with the expectation that the paper will guard tholr interests with vigor and fidelity; that wherever a public pub-lic wrong Is committed tho newspaper will demand that it be righted; that wherever a public officer defaults upon his obligation he will be called to account; ac-count; that whenever helpless Innocence Inno-cence either In the Individual case or In tho community sense shall cry for Justice, Jus-tice, that cry will be resounded by tho nowspaper. In' tho performance of this high ob-ligatkm, ob-ligatkm, as sacred in tho caupo of Justice Jus-tice as that whloh the pulpit owes to humanity, it is indeed a frail and faltering falter-ing daily Journal which does not often antagonize those who wield public authority au-thority and who holding high Btation forget their oaths and deem themselves them-selves the masters instead of the servants. So far as the case of Mr. Jones is con-corned, con-corned, It is now before the court; it will be tried according to tho law and the evidence; and therefore Tho Tribune has no desire to make further comment. com-ment. But as we have an especial charge committed to us by the people, and as that charge increases as our subscription subscrip-tion list Increases with every month, we shall continue to fulfill the trust thereby Imposed; without fear, without favor, regardful of the Justlco which we owe to every man In public Btation and regardful of the duty which every man In public station owes to the community com-munity whose money he expends. |