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Show MAUL CASE BRIEFS WASHINGTON", Oct. 21. Briefs on behalf of ihe government and the Press Publishing company of New. York were filed in the supreme court of the I'nited States in what Is termed term-ed the Panama libel case. The case Is that In xvhich former Presldeut Roosevelt Roose-velt ordered the department of justice jus-tice to proceed against the Press Publishing company, publishers oi the New York World, because of stories to the effect that there had been favoritism fa-voritism In the purchase of the Panama Pan-ama canal property by which capitalists. capital-ists. Including Charles P. Taft, brother broth-er of the president, Douglaa Robinson, brother-iu law of former President Roosevelt, and others, which charged xxlth haviug reaped great limine lal bene fit. Because of the lact that the- World circulated upon the government res-i res-i ivatlon at West Point the libel proceedings pro-ceedings were brought In the federal courts, and on the legality of this action ac-tion depended the chlei contentions ot the defendant's counsel. Brief for the Press Publishing company com-pany xvas llled by Delaneey Nlcol of New York as the counsel. This contended con-tended that even though the language ol the act of IS'.'.S was literally bron 1 enough to roxer the case, it should not be so construed for several reasons. rea-sons. The foremost .if these was that the "general acquiescence of legal rr.'nds for nearly a century in the negative of the proposition forbids tln construction now for the tlrsl time asserted by rhe goxeniment. "During this period we liuve passed through the most momentous events of our history." said the attorney. "In all the fierce discussions of the press no one hate ever claimed till noxv that the courts of the United Stales have Jurisdiction to punish a libel first printed, published and circulated cir-culated In one of the states and which in the course of a general circulation has happened to penetrate into this federal reservation." Another reason advanced against the government's construction ai that "the whole history and life of the country l-t utterly at variance with any such construction." The necessary result of such a construction. con-struction. It xvas conte nded, would b" t.i confer upon the national au'horl-tiet au'horl-tiet a general control oxer the press of the country. |
