ChapterXI:LibertyOfThePressInTheUnitedStatesChapterSummaryDifficultyofrestrainingthelibertyofthepress—Particularreasonswhichsomenationshavetocherishthisliberty—ThelibertyofthepressanecessaryconsequenceofthesovereigntyofthepeopleasitisunderstoodinAmerica—ViolentlanguageoftheperiodicalpressintheUnitedStates—Propensitiesoftheperiodicalpress—IllustratedbytheUnitedStates—OpinionoftheAmericansupontherepressionoftheabuseofthelibertyofthepressbyjudicialprosecutions—ReasonsforwhichthepressislesspowerfulinAmericathaninFrance。
LibertyOfThePressInTheUnitedStatesTheinfluenceofthelibertyofthepressdoesnotaffectpoliticalopinionsalone，butitextendstoalltheopinionsofmen，anditmodifiescustomsaswellaslaws。InanotherpartofthisworkIshallattempttodeterminatethedegreeofinfluencewhichthelibertyofthepresshasexerciseduponcivilsocietyintheUnitedStates，andtopointoutthedirectionwhichithasgiventotheideas，aswellasthetonewhichithasimpartedtothecharacterandthefeelings，oftheAnglo—Americans，butatpresentIpurposesimplytoexaminetheeffectsproducedbythelibertyofthepressinthepoliticalworld。
IconfessthatIdonotentertainthatfirmandcompleteattachmenttothelibertyofthepresswhichthingsthataresupremelygoodintheirverynaturearewonttoexciteinthemind;andIapproveofitmorefromarecollectionoftheevilsitpreventsthanfromaconsiderationoftheadvantagesitensures。
Ifanyonecouldpointoutanintermediateandyetatenablepositionbetweenthecompleteindependenceandtheentiresubjectionofthepublicexpressionofopinion，Ishouldperhapsbeinclinedtoadoptit;butthedifficultyistodiscoverthisposition。Ifitisyourintentiontocorrecttheabusesofunlicensedprintingandtorestoretheuseoforderlylanguage，youmayinthefirstinstancetrytheoffenderbyajury;butifthejuryacquitshim，theopinionwhichwasthatofasingleindividualbecomestheopinionofthecountryatlarge。Toomuchandtoolittlehasthereforehithertobeendone。Ifyouproceed，youmustbringthedelinquentbeforeacourtofpermanentjudges。
Butevenherethecausemustbeheardbeforeitcanbedecided;