The libel action 'brought by Mr. Arthur Chamberlain against the
Morning Leader and the Star ended on Tuesday in a verdict of £200 damages for the plaintiff, the trial having lasted four days. We have dealt with the whole subject elsewhere, and will only say here that we think the verdict was justified. There was ground for fair and reason- able comment, but none for the exaggerated, unjust, and rancorously partisan accusations and suggestions of the defendants. After the verdict had been given, Mr. Neville Chamberlain's action was settled by the defendants paying £1,500 damages, they declaring that they had innocently in- serted a statement from another paper, which they now found to be inaccurate and unfounded. It is to be hoped that the result of the actions will be to prevent newspapers over- stepping the bounds of truth and justice in the desire to make party and personal capital out of matters which, if fairly and properly treated, are of real public importance. There was a certain amount of fire, but the Morning Leader and Star used the hose, not to put it out, but to do as much malicious damage and injury as they could to the persons whose carelessness was to some extent responsible for the conflagration. A hose is a useful instrument, but people who use it in that way deserve no sympathy from good citizens.
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