Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1879 — Grabb's Newspaper Gag. [ARTICLE]

Grabb's Newspaper Gag.

Under ttir rfew IrrvV the vtfest man that ever lived can brfng rfn action , ruralnst iiny newspaper in fire statu, wtik-h tmty happen to allude ,fr> Ida 1 d’aracter In nncomt>limcnti>ry provide'! lie can find shyster vile eo'migft to ahi him.— lridianetnolin ll.eoltl. Ni itltvi' the Iferuhl nor.atty other newspaper of th'd staid,’ (hat we h;i\ e si i n, except pur owti, hrtA yet touched upon t’nv worst objection to this Jaw, if we afe cforrecily ad-, vised as to it.* provisions, which is that tho party who feels aggrievid, no it fairrr^frnw^-rast 1 ul iy- -er - viM >H«-. ous Up may be, does Hot have to find a shj ster to conduct his suit for litm. His case becomes the case of tl'e state of Ii diima, aqcord'mg to the Grubb's law, ttnd it hecom'-s tho-duty *»fjhu diidrict attorneys to prosecute all crises of which complaint may be made, .precisely as in.l’ic ca.sepf ?.l:<miicide. .Tlte tiewsfrafie? rift’clt’, if of the natn e of a stricture, is prima fatte n libil. Its jtisfific.iliim is a mere matter of delcnst', which can, only bo airged whim trial has been commended. In the case of an alleged assault and battery, or of larceny, the state’s attcfrucy inquire into t ire tacts, and itffcom sirteralde measure exercise his discretion r.s to whvtlii r a suit is justifiable, wi.ether there are anv' grounds fi r it; be.offuse oh the trial itself the burdin yf pfoof with the state. But in tlic ease of the trewsp.-iper publicatiim the ordei; of proceeding is in part reversed.: The state simply offers to the mfttrt jiuy the alleged defrtmatory article and establishes the fact that complaining witness' is the person To whom the arti<de alludes. The . Trurd.m i f proof then rests-with the defemlant. It the law made the complaining a-itness liable for the cos»s of the suit, in the event of his laihtfe to. convict the newspaper of libel, its operation wonld i-ot be so onesided.—Houth Bend Reytsler.