Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 63, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1919 — U. S. GRAND JURY INDICTMENT [ARTICLE]

U. S. GRAND JURY INDICTMENT

Charges Indianapolis News 'Publisher With Postal Violation. Delevan Smith, dor many years the supposed principal owner of the Indianapolis News, was arrested on a U. S. grand jury indictment last week and placed under SIO,OOO bonds to await trial in the federal court for violation of the U. 8- postal Taws. Smith is alleged to have made false reports in representing the owners, stockholders, etc,, of the News, as required" each six months under the so-called Barnhart law. It developed after the death of the late Ex-vice President Charles W. Fairbanks that the latter was the' principal stockholder in the News, although he had not been mentioned- in the sworn reports, it Is said. Fairbanks, in fact, owned three-fourths of the stock in the News, while the reports sworn to by Smith alleged that he was the owner of the paper, it is charged. This law was put through congress by H. A. Barnhart, publisher of the Rochester Sentinel, when Mr. Barnhart represented the Thirteenth Indiana district in the lower house of congress, and was designed for the purpose of preventing the eamoflauging the ownership of our big dally papers. This is the first fruits of consequence that has resulted from the law so far.