Show THE LAV LAW OF or LIBEL chief justice coleridge of en eng land has very recently delivered A notable and elaborate decision concerning the doctrine of p privileged arty communications in the law of libel tho the decision is nn an application of the principle which is constantly practiced in in new york yoa pennsylvania and other eastern states tates that communications are privileged which are made in good faith faid to ta persona person s having a legitimate int interest erett in the information sought and where the persons by whom the communications are made eland stand in in such h a relation to to those to whom they are made as to render the making of tho the coin communications mu n icat ions a 4 reason reasonable able duty some months ago the supreme court of pennsyl Penu pennsylvania syl rendered a decision in entire accord with the principles now 33 promulgated by the chief justice of eu england gland jn in the case in pennsylvania sylvania the court held that a communication muni cation vigorously assailing the pe personal character acter of a candidate for office read by the chairman of a political meeting mec ting was privileged matter the following lollo is the substance stan of the case in question and of the decision of chief justice coleridge an important decision involving the doctrine of privileged communications in the law of libel was ren rend i dered tiered lately by the queens bench division of the high court of justice england upon the application of sir IV V armstrong company for an injunction to restrain the admiralty and horse guards gazette from publishing certain alleged defamatory matter regarding the dealings of that company government in relation to certain ordnance contracts the court through lord loyd chief justice coleridge dismissed the application for an injunction holding that the P publication ion was a privileged comma n ni cation and tast abathe the burden of proving malice rested ori on the plaintiff who had bis his remedy by bt euit suit lord coleridge said ehte thi s is no doubt an extremely important application ion it is an application anthe part of sir william armstrong company to restrain the publication of libelous li belou matter mitter in the defendants defend ante newspaper uch such defamatory matter being in in substance that members of that corn com pany any either a or juet just recently have h ave b been een in I 1 interested t e rested in committee and have by their position n in the government anday and by their ca connection 1 with pe war office departments influenced determine de tion of a select committe with regard to 0 o the purchase huf of ordnance from the plaintiff com company I 1 may observe that the contracts for ordnance are admitted to have bare been of an enormous character dhar acter anti no suggestion as a to the largeness ei and Import importance ince of those contracts contract i has hai been io in jibe be least overstated difese th ese contracts may be said to be about the most important element in the defenses of t the b e country which exists exi as they relate to the O 0 ordnance 1 and particularly the thi naval 0 ordnance rd nance of the country abild theres there fore this is a matter if there be any in the world I 1 of public inte interest resL if anything like liko that stated in the alleged libel be true the person who exposes a baem and buch such a mischief does a great public service and I 1 cannot for a moment hesitate in id saying that the subject matter which constitutes ehg writing about abou t it is a privileged communication it ia to the interest of the whole country try that the of our chief weapon of defense should be made by indifferent and disinterested persons the defendants saTi say that thit the selection was wits not pomade madey of course the right and privilege of comment ought not to be used as a auy any cloak whatever for private malice malle andla and if it should turu turn out axt W the trial of the action that allegation publicly made were ware made upon bono honorable rable and independent men and that the articles so far from being written inobe la the public interest were ere written in the interest nt crest of some rival contractor for the purpose of brin bringing 91 discredit upon it body of honorable gentlemen then so far from the man writing them thern having done something e thi g for the public service r erves reward be deser deserves ires being leing mulched mulcted mul ted eted as a jug juby would undoubtedly mulcted u heaviest possible 1 le damaged which be might reasonably be expected able to pay Whet whether berit it was written with a vieito view to the lie service or from 1 I bitting sitting here who of course have no means meant of knowing five give no opinion but it is quite plain th that at tho the subject and the occasion being privileged legeti and whatever double doubts have recen recently been thrown on the law of libel on an this point joint I 1 do not share it is quite dear ear that the onous of proving malice rests on the plaintiff and once it is 1 sr granted aiLed that the occasion is privileged f th the 9 onous ie Is anc oni tike pIa ioUS to how show that has been exceeded and that A arad s tide a cloak lq ak 0 of H vette callei tk tins esth ie on why by I 1 think we wi ought to reboso to interfere I 1 ter in this case |