THE LAW OF LIBEL.

West Coast Times, Issue 6560, 2 August 1887, Page 4

THE LAW OF LIBEL.

Commenting on a rc;ent libel case in Dunedin, the Otago Daily Times saya : — While congratulating the upon the verdict of the jury, we desire to express a sentiment of regret, which we believe is very widely felt, that a newspaper proprietor should in any way be placed at the mercy of an unscrupulous man. It is to be regretted that under our lules of law no security for coats can be required unless a plaintiff resides out of the colony. It does seeja hard that any impecunious man with a fancied grudge against a paper should be able by scraping a few pounds together, to put the newspaper proprietor to the expence of a defence, and get off scot fiee from all consequences when he had lost. We fear that the £1262 10s costs given against the plaintiff are not very likely to be obtained by the defendants. A more preposterous claim we suppose was never brought before a court of justice, or one more discreditable to all concerned. Indeed we find it difficult to understand how the plantiff managed to obtain the services of a lawyer to conduct his case. The plaintiff claimed £50,000 because his malpractices were exposed, and the public earned of the danger to which young girls were being subjected. This was really a height of impudence which we do not remember to have seen equalled. The jury had the good sense to bring in the only possible verdict, after having an entire day wasted in gravely listening to a lot of evidence. It is probably necessary in the interests of liberty that the opportunity of appealing to the courts of justice should be left open to all and sundry. If this liberty often degenerated into license, and advantage were taken improperly of the law's machinery, as on Tuesday, it would become absolutely necessary to impose some restrictions on the right.