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Show A Courageous Fight Is Commended (From Editor and Publisher) Men everywhere will watch with sharp interest the contempt con-tempt of court citation at Los Angeles, involving the editors of the Record, Scripps-Can field newspaper. II. R. R. Briggs, the editor, is a brave and able newspaper man. He has been gunning, so that the public interest might be served, for hidden facts in the shocking Julian Petroleum case, one of the most outrageous stock swindles of modern times and so interlocked with powerful political interests in California that we have wondered where the financial pirates started and politicians left off. The campaign of the Record to drive an apathetic legal system to do its duty has been remarkable for energy and courage. The newspaper recently demanded the indictment and trial of highly placed individuals. W hen the grand jury failed fail-ed to indict "higher-ups" the Record carried the case to the court of public opinion. And then a "clique" in the local bar association stepped in and preferred a charge against the Record editors and a visiting judge issued contempt citations. cita-tions. The case, from this distance, appeal's to be made to order for a showdown on several moot questions. Is a grand jury sacrosanct? Does it, as the representative of the people, enjoy immunity from criticism? Grand juries have committed some rather raw acts in this cni'ntry in the past. They are'eomposed of citizens, humanly hu-manly prone to abuse power and subject to error. The grand jury "meets in secret and its transactions usually are held inviolate. in-violate. Tho remarkable fact, as we have often declared, is that when judges issue contempt citations of this sort they frequently fre-quently appear to lose sight of the editorial motive. We have no first-hand information concerning this Los Angeles cast, but are confident, knowing the character and experience experi-ence of Mr. Briggs, that the Record was battling for the public interest with much to lose for its ethical stand and nothing to gain that is not the legitimate need of public. service serv-ice journalism. It seems strange that members of a bar association, familiar fa-miliar with the facts, should be so keen to haress an editor Tor his act in upholding the legal system, making it effective lor the public welfare. |