OCR Text |
Show TILLMAN HAS A CASE. Tn connection with the alleged libol suits that seem so mysteriously to have beon begun iu the court of tho District of Columbia, it might bo usoflil to inquire in-quire whethor another libel suit having moro substantial foundation than theso mysterious ones might not better be-brought. be-brought. Tho cases on file appear to have no complainant, but to be mere inquiries in-quiries lo find out what correspondents know, and why they printed or forwarded for-warded to their papers certain alleged information which is now claime(l to be libelous. It docs not appear than auy ono pleadB in these proceedings that he has becu libeled; no person alleges damuges. The Attorney-General, how-over, how-over, appears in some way to figure in them, according to tho inquiry set on foot in tho Senate by Mr. Rayncr of Maryland, but just in what capacity does not appear. It is a sort of blind, mysterious procedure, without either proper beginning or end that can be foreseen. Thero is a case, however, of actual slander. Certain allegations were made against tho repute and honesty of Senator Sena-tor Tillman of South Carolina. These wero mado by tho President and tho Attoruoj-'Gencral. Tho Attorney-Genoral reiterated somo of the President's malicious mali-cious charges aftor Tillman mado his first speech of explanation. In this reiteration re-iteration the Attornoy-Gencral undertook under-took to show that Tillman had been in negotiation to buy certain railway lands. Tillman, however, easily disposed dis-posed of this by showing that the landi which ho had boguu negotiations to buy wero not railroad lands at all, but wero part of an old grant to the Stato of Oregon for the building of a military road. Tho railway lands wero required to bo disposed of to actual settlers. Bui as Senator Tillman never intended to become an actual settler he never 'entered 'en-tered into any negotiations with respect to tho railroad lands. Tho land grant for I he military rond hml ti rci.:i: - as to actual settlement, but only ro- B quired that it should be sold in certain H subdivisions and for not loss than $2.50 I per acre. So that Senator Tillman, oven I if ho had gone on and completed the 1 purchase of tho land for which ho was 1 negotiating, would have committed no 1 offersc under tho law or in morals. The I transaction was perfectly open to him without any restrictions whatever, and II thero was no reason why ho should be Bg reproached in any .way oven if ho had i closed his negotiations Avith purchase. n And yet ho was brought under ro 9 proach, and assailed virulently by (ho 1 President and the AttOrno3--Gcneral So that if nny libol- suij. is duo oh nn.r of B these public matters it is duo to Sena- Q tor Tillman to bring it against his do- 1 famcrs. His only offense, as said in I thoso columns heretofore, was his dis- m ingenuousness in not explaining tho MD whole transaction in tho first plnco lo 1 tin! Scnato when ho made his explana- H I tion a year ago. By all means, if there Eg is nny libel suit lo bo brought, let Till mnn bring it, and lot thoso wlto assailed him answer in court. Lot us have no mock suits, no mischievous prosecutions, no drag-not haling into court of correspondents corre-spondents lo find out what thoy know where no substantial suit has been planted and no legal accusations mado. Lot overything be open and aboveboard, and let somo responsible parly appear every time when an action is begun. |