Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-03-24

inc newspapers OF Richmond With the pub
lished proceedings Of the Convention, in a
supplemental sheet printed and published
at the States expense, offers the following
explanation Of the subject
IAN error seems to have got abroad in reference
to the publication of the debates in the Convention
which itmay be wen here To correct The idea
prevails thar the newspapers of this city are deriv-
ing large profits from the publication and distribu-
sion OF the Supplement-. This is mistake. The
facts simply these Mr.. X. Ii. Gallaher CON
tracted with the Convention TO publish so many
copies OF the Supplement al stipulated price
These furnished to the several city newspapers
and by them distributed among their subscribers,
Not dollar OF profit is received by any them.
Whatever profit acsrues belongs solely 10 MIR.
Gailaier, who has the entire trouble and response
bility OF experimenting the execution of the work.
The members the Convention desired to have
their speeches extensively circulated among the
people. and selected the present mode as the one
best calculated to accomplish that object. 1t had
this advantage-that the expense of postage was
saved, which could not have been effected by the
adoption of any other plan. If they were not. viii
ling topay the heavy expenses necessarily incurred
by the reporting and publication of such n mass Of
matter, the newspapers would certainly never have
burdened themselves with the voluntary imposition
Of such an onerous tax. brief synopsis Of each
DAYS proceedings would doubt have amply graft
fed public curiosity, and saved them from the adj
ditiona though tri1ing of folding and mailing
the Supplement-
The statement of the Wing is precisely
what we have always understood to be
the real facts of the case, and fails entirely
to answer our objections to the principle
involved in the premises. We never sup
posed the Richmond Press were realizing
any profits from the supplement, farther
than it night operate an as auxiliary to in
crease the circulation of those papers to
which it had been given. So far from its
doing that even, we should not be surpris-
ed, if the truth were known, to learn that it
had contrary influence for no nenspa-
per as unpopular as the supplement is,
could servive a week. We venture to
say dozen copies, out of Richmond, have
not been read; ifthey have, Barnum ought
certainly to have the reader, as a monu-
ment Of patience for the adornment of his
Museum.
But all that doesn't affect the principle
at all. 1t might be supposed that publ
cation of the kind would impart increased
interest to a paper-indced two of the
Richmond papers did avail themselves of
the occasion to plead their claims to addi-
tional support, in virtue of this Conven-
tional tender-and the operators in the Uni
versallst laboratory must have regarded
this essence of poppy as immensely val
liable, or they would never have expended
so much in its distillation Assuming then
that it is worth something, that something
is given to the proprietors of the Rich
mond papers, in whose favour the Con
vention has Disseminated against all the
other papers in the State; and whose rea-
ders alone, to the exclusion of the great
mass Of the people, are entitled to the arts
tocratic luxury of being put to sleep by
this agreeable narcotic. We object to the
principle Of discrimination and not that
we should be unwilling to see our CON
temporaries of the Press benefited by the
largess, which we cannot blame them for
receiving, inasmuch as the Convention was
determined to bestowit on some body. Least
OF all can we blame the publisher, who
gives his qaid pro qao; and a "quid' may
well be deemed an ample consideration for
the whole affair.
Il Since the foregoing was in type,
we have received the Richmond Exami-
ner, which after referring to our remarks
on this subject, pretty much in the same
strain as the Wing, concludes very differ
emily as follows:
Zone word to the Lynchburg Virginia II is re-
ported and believed here that, some weeks ago YOU
proposed 10 remedy this .'laxity in Legislative NOR
al" by an application very different romthe one
you now suggest The talk is, that yon applied for
share of ''the large sum Of money voted to the
newspapers in Richmond"--in other words, that
you asked TO come into the arrangement upon the
same footing with the Richmond offices. Can this
be possiblc?"
Quite possible. Vainly supposing that
the object Of the Convention was to dissem-
mate their proceedings, and not to 9iscriimi-
nate against tie country press, whose rea-
ders we had supposed had quite as much
right to the public funds, which were scat
tering abroad, as those of the Richmond
Press, we asked that they might be emit
tied to the same privilege and what was
the answer! "You can getthe supplement
for your readers, !! you'H paytor it! only
Tie Richmond papers can hacen for noth-
ing" A few weeks convinced us that we
had lost nothing by the failure of the zap
plication."