Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 211, 9 June 1891 — A FREE PRESS. [ARTICLE]

A FREE PRESS.

It has often been 6aid abroad that the Honolulu Dress is gagged. The Supreme €ourt especially have always held that it was a very wicked and crimiual thing to be too free with their proceedings or doings. Tt has seemed desirablc to some gentlemen to protect the dignity and reputation of our administration of law, abroad by pre venting public eomai;ent on the coorse of justicē as admimstered here. Then we have the most unjust and oppressive libel law that ever disgraced a ētatute book. Now, let us here correct a mistake in the reader's mind and expoun4 one of the mopt important maxims of the libel law, "The greacer the truth 3 the greater th3 libei" is the law established by generations of tyrannous magistrates away back in the dark ages. In the United States it is enacted that the truth shall be a coniplete defense to any action for libel; but; in Hawair the greater the truth the greater the libq]y Thcre are many who say "'eanH you prove it ?" Hut it must be proved to thecourt and ajur}' selected by the court that it was published for justififtble motives, courts and juries take queer Jnd unexpectedviews of what is justifiable. That free epeeeh should be eonsidered a crime punishable by fiiie and imprisonment is a curious comment on our civilization. lf we see Sniith or Brown or Jones ste;iling fr<>m the puhlie treasury, ;md tlare to menlion ilin puhlie. we īiiust go to jail at the in«tanee of the theives who continue to drive through the streets m their gil<ivd oijuip:»ges bcfore the eyes <if an :iwe<l puhhe. Tho who eoiue bcro

!in tbe guise of .mi6oiouaries *left, t their love of liberty and fair play j in iheir native land and iinp©rted every device of mediaval tyraurty to shield their rep«tations from the blackness of their own iniquity. We have given the people the first exaniple of a free press ever known in Hawaii. We are appreciated aml Datronized by the people. But can we stand out against; the attacks of an organized attempt to crush us by people who have tbe wealth of the country-and most of the machinery of the government in their hands and the eloak of law and piety to eonneal their Bhrivelbe, avaricious, spiteful souls. j There are some honest independ-1 ent men in this country, but will i they tāke a stand for a free press ? Are things to be told s spoken, proclaimed, or is all to be hushed. whispered stilly. Are we men ? then let us speak out like men, or else betake ourselves to God's country whcre men may freely speak and speak und write their sentiments. If the people again support the Bush-Wilcox crowd in the next election we will wipe from the statue books the •'eiminal" libel law. Them we will buy a ten-cenl bottle of ink and take our pen in hand and write every thief and traitor, sneak and in.trig.uer, out of public office, nnd every sham and humbug, and job out of public affairs.