The boundaries of free speech are tested, Tacoma, 1916
From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: I stumbled across a legal case in Washington State history that deserves to be revisited. The following news nugget was found at random in the Morning Olympian for May 5, 1916: DEFAMER OF GEORGE WASHINGTON GUILTY JURY RETURNS WITH VERDICT AFTER 90 MINUTES “TACOMA, May 4.–Paul R. Haffer was found guilty of libel and defamation of character when he said that George Washington drank more…