| Show A budges judges sound second thought wo we know nothing of the public or private life lire of united states district audgo morrill but wo we venture to doubt if ho he eyer ever did a more sensible thing than to back down from his threat to punish tho the proprietors of the galveston news mems for contempt of court the manager of a local theatre had been on trial for alleged violation of the Civi rights bights law in refusing two colored women adais admission don to the parquet pending the decision of thel the case the news following the tho free rree and easy casy fashion of tile the pr press ess generally took the liberty of criticising criticizing critic ising some constructions and rulings of bf the J judge this was done with a mode moderation not always observable in new newspapers of the south and west but judge morrill seems to be hypersensitive to editorial comments and ho he determined to let the news people know thal thai they could not censure or lecture him with impunity if the news article had been published with the most remote design of influencing the jury it had wholly failed of that effect the J jury u ry two days after its appearance found for the plaintiff and the manager was fined the occasion seemed suitable for putting tin down meddling editors and so judge morrill ordered a summons for the news men to appear and show cause why an attachment for contempt should not issue to this the proprietors of the newy news responded denying the i jurisdiction uris of the court in the matter claiming the right and privilege i of bf discussing all questions before the court in which the public were interested te at the same same time disavowing all intent lutent intention lori iori of disrespect to the jud jude judge judo o or of influencing the cause pending judge morrill had by this time cooled down a little he reserved his decision until aitto tomorrow mo morning and after a good nights sleep took the judic judicious iou course which does so much honor to his good sense he dismissed the contempt case caso on the ground that the article referred to showed no intent to obstruct justice or violate tho the laws of the united states and gracefully added the publishers have unrestricted liberty to apply a ply any epithet to the judge of tre the court without being in contempt for so doing this is th the a and if all the federal judges and commissioners at the south gouth would be equally tolerant of differences of opinion on the civil big rig rights ats law that act could be enforced with much less difficulty ultimately it will come before the supreme bench and its constitutionality be finally determined and the result whatever it is will bo be acquiesce acquiesced a in by all peaceable folk until then we must expect that editors north and south will bo be very free in their language about tho the law and its administration had judge morrill punished the letus news for fon fora oora a constructive contempt ho he would hot merely havo have done nn an illegal and highhanded act aci but ho would have provoked and stimulated a feeling of resistance to the civil rights bights law this now manifests itself only in a lawful form in speeches and newspaper thunder but if an attempt i were made to crush it out by persecution from the bench it would assume a more serious phase the people of galveston including the news editors are now perfectly quiet and the defendants defendant counsel takes the usual appeal N Y journal of commerce |
