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CHAPTER III GUARANTEES OF PROBABILITY

“ Delane's Printing House Square period was coming to an end when , in 1875, his Paris correspondent, Blowitz, sent him news of the Prus sian plan for reopening the war against France. Not till after a fortnight of the letter's arrival did its contents see the light. In the interval Delane had personally investigated the whole matter ,had sent Chenery on a secret inquiry to Paris. The sensation known as the war scare of 1875 was thus only flashed upon the world when the editor and his aides-de-camp had sifted every statement in connection with it.” — T. I. S. Escott.

NEWSPAPERS, when tested for evidences of their authoritative ness, show that their pages carry large numbers of general and of specific guarantees of their reliability that, with certain limita tions, may re-assure the doubting historian in his contemplated use of them. The first guarantee provided the student of American history

is that given by the first amendment of the federal constitution that forbids Congress to make any law that shall abridge the

freedom of the press, - a guarantee that is re-enforced by a similar statement made in the constitution of every state in the union. This secures to every periodical, at least in theory, under normal conditions, absolute freedom in the publication of news and in the expression of opinion so far as each periodical chooses

to exercise this freedom. The guarantee is, it is true, a negative one. No editor is compelled to publish all the news received or to

express an opinion on any and every subject, or to take sides in any controversy, but if he chooses to do so , no condign punish

ment follows. The guarantee does not protect the historian from a colorless ,negative press ,but it should protect him from a fawning

subservient press that truckles to authority. These federal and state provisions that guarantee freedom of the press throughout the country have their counterpart in laws restraining the press from printing false ormalicious statements. It must be assumed not only that the press as a whole wishes to