The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1849-11-23
Gle Gattlaster Ga;rttc.
LANCASTER, NOVEMBER 80. 1slO.
Editorial cOnvention-chsap Postage.

vention Of Editors and Publishers-the result
Of the consultation is the calling of Convention
to be held in Columbus, on the goth inst.
What particular good will result from this, is
yet TO be determined.
In the first place, the hatchet will be buried as
matter of course, the pipe Of peace will be free
ly smoked, and huge promises of Cancellation.
compromise courtesy aud fraternity will he made.
All these will be forgotten the pipe will be bro.
ken and the hatehet dug out, in less than month
after the Convention--so we think at any rate.
But this is nothing we expect to see more i'm
portnnt matters brought up for deiberation.
Prominent in the doings Of the Convention,
must be the discussion of measures best adapted
TO the prosperity, influence and usefulness Of the
Local Press of the State. How state of things
can be brought about that will tend to promote
the prosperity and independence of the country
papers, will be fit subject for consultation and
deliberation. The press, at the Capitol, have
or ought 10 have, a powerful influence. They
should receive the support of every good mem
Der Of either party--placed beyond the possibili,
ty of want-enabled to procure help s. assistance
eminent talent and ability at all tilnes--and thus
prove a source of profit TO their publishers, while
they render invaluable services to the cause, in
which they are engaged. They should be support
ed in such away & by snch persons, that they can
always act efficiently ably ,iearessly aud indepen,
deutly-the patrons ofpapers should be liberal
minded men,ior it is an mposSibility to make pa.
per suit every variety and shade of oPnon-ahd
if the Editor is afraid 10 be independent afraid to
give free current to his deliberately formed
thoughts, wewoudn't give a fig for him-we
would as leave have a man of straw to sit upon
the tripod,
But after all Is said of the important position
occupied by State papers, the country press ought
to gill more import ant sphere. The peculiar
opinions of each county can alone be reflected by
a county paper; and when we are told that so
few are really able and efficient exponent Of tleir
patrons views and wshes,we have only to reply
that is no; their fault good situation finds good
publishers aud efficient editors-a poor one the
reverse. In many counties Of the State but little
interest is manifested, by two.thirds OF the mem
bers of either party, in their respective papers
In few counties does the vote of either party ex.
ceed 1000 or $500, and with paying circulation
of 500, yielding only $1,000, how can any party
expect their paper to be properly conducted
when the outlay OF the Office must necessarily
reach that sun-thus making the Editor aud Pub
Usher dependent upon the precarious receipts OF
advertising and job work to support themselves
and families which at best is but a forlorn hope.
Aud yet butiew papers have even this number
of prompt paying subscribers, and all of them
are blamed for inserting too many advertisements.
We may make an example Of this county, and we
do moi publish the worst supported paper in the
State by any means. We suppose, we cannot
say certain, that we have 600 responsible subscri.
bers; but only 400 of these pay us promptly
Thus our out!ays exceed our income from sub
scribers some two or three hundred dollars, We
put it TO our friends, earnestly and candidly. how
can we avoid occupying so much space with ad-
vertisements when we have not only our fam
The township of Richland, with near 200 able
Wings, gives us list Of about 25 subscribers.-
So with nearly every township in the county, ex,
cept Hooking and Greenfield And yet nearly
every Wing in the county will cordially unite with
his neighbor in admitting the necessity Of coun-
ty paper-very frequently in assisting him to read
it. We are not an isolated case. 1t is so, al
most everywhere, except where papers are for.
tunate enough to have the good will of the ma
jority, when they receive an additional support
for public printing. But even the largernunber
of these are almost entirely dependent upon this
kind of patronage aud thus are crippled , r
II the fraternity of Editors aud Publishers, who
meet at Columbus on the 29lh, will devise ways
aud means to eradicate this evil, the very worst
under which county papers labor, they have met
and abored and consulted to some practical good.
If publisher had fortune Of some six or eight
thousand dollars, aud would be willing to expend
it in trying the experiment, he might dispense
with advertisements, employ able assistants & per-
haps induce the people to think that, with proper
tuulu uuNe u UeVer paper,
for their purposes, than any from distance. But
unfortunately, printers are proverbially poor. and
when some poor devil happens to meet with a
"wndlall" and feels The rocks there are too
many inducements to attract him from his trade.
and he is rather dsinclined to spend it in the ex.
pertinent. This then will not answer the pur-
pose--it IS not The remedy, Let the cungomer.
ated mass of every hue and shade, that meets in
Convention, discover The remedy, and we can
all exclaim, at was good for us 10 be there"
Cheap Postage is not the remedy. When the
cry was first raised, we very naturally took ltuP
and helped 10 give it currency, But we since
changed our notions We, in this regard, happen
to be an old conservative, and are uclined to the
opinion that the Post Office Department oughtto
support tself--and in doing this ought to charge
its customers, who wish their letters and papers
carried 400 miles, twice as much as those who
have theirs carried only 900 miles. We are in
clined, neither to believe in "uniiorm postage
nor "iree circulation" for any distance When
a man has ajob to perform he oughtto pay what
tits fairly worth, and ought not to ask another
man to pay portion Of it, when he receives no
benefit from it. We see no justice in asking the
Department to carry the Gazette to Rushville. a.
distance Of 10 miles, for nothing, and then asking