The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-05-04
yELEGRAPHlC REPORTING FOR THE
PRESS

| we commend the following article, which W,
take from the 81. Louis Republican,, 10 the seri
Gus consideration of the public press. Every
word OF it is well said and, abundantly deserved
aud we subscribe to it most heartily. reform
is loudly called for in this matter. and unless it is
effected, we hope the press will put stop to the
imposition which is at present practiced upon
them:
=. Perhaps better time may not arrive for some
remarks upon the character OF the reports for
the newspaper press, all over the country, but
particularly for the West, than the present 1t
is time of comparative repose, when exciting q
matters are not likely to interfere with a proper
discussion of the subject, and for this reason we
invite the attention Of other journals to the mat
! ter.
We assume, then. that the persons who are
employed to report for the press, are wholly in
competent for the duties of the station They
have neither the intelligence, the Judgment, the
enterprise nor the industry necessary to the pro-
per collation. and transmission of such news as
Is OF general interest. They do not seem to
Know what we want. They seem to think that
we delight in quarrels, murders, hangings,
maimings, and the horrible generally In the
transmission of Congressional news, the mos,
unimportant items are most generally selected,
and the remainder is confused and unsatisfac-
tory 1t is SO of everything else. The Cali
fornla news is very frequently of s,,reotyped
kind, always telling us that mining is very pros.
porous, and giving none of the drawbacks
which frequently accompany the more authen-
tic accounts. The European news is no better
enough on.y being sent to mar the interest of
the whole when ii is received Without going
into further detail, it is sufficient to say tina, the
whole reports are made without reference to
the meridian to which they are sent, and fire.
quently have no more interest to us than they
would have for the man in the moon
1t is time to put stop 10 this system of impo-
sition, and if the conductors OF the press will
set themselves to work, they can do it. Let us
refuse to take the vagrant stuff which is daily |
sent along the line of Telegraph. As we pay |
high Telegraph rates, let US demand of those |
who make them up in Philadelphia, or else
where, the preparation of proper and reliable
reports. If they will not agree to ii others can
be found who will Under the present system,
the reader is daily taxed to guess at what is
meant by the dispatches. Sometimes, in attemp
ting to condense intelligence, the most impor-
tant parts are omitted and the interest destroyed
and afterwards, space and time are required in
giving explanations, when. if the whole were
no such necessity would exist
The reporter should be made to understand tha,
restricting himself less to the quantity than the
quality of the article. That arrangements
should be made for regular summary of Incl
dents likely to be of interest, or advantage, to
the particular locality for which they are intend
ed. Thus, cotton quotations may do very we'll
for Memphis, Mobile and New Orleans, but we
only few of our readers care about
such things In regard to Congressional mat
ters, all that is Of National interest, and every
thing having relation to Western interest, should
be sought out and transmitted but as for the
scanty, shabby, mean reports heretofore sent to
US we would not give cent for them Most
generally they distracted from reports for
The Northern cities and States, and have direct
reference to them and their interests, and if
anything is taken from them, designed for the
West, 1t is generally in an unntelligible shape
1t is due to ourselves and the public that the
attempt should be made to reform these abuses
Instead of improving the Telegraph is ex-
tended IN its operations, there seems to be no
disposition whatever to employ competent men,
or TO observe any regularity in the transmission
OF dispatches. Unless reformation is effected,
We confess that should like to see the present
system OF reporting by Telegraph for the news
papers exploded, and then competition might
be invoked and industry and enterprise would
soon devise system that would work well.
50 far as we concerned, we had rather pay
more than the present oppressive charges, and
have such dispatches as desire, than contin
ne the present arrangement, even without charge.
The public should understand, however, and it
IS due The press to say, that this state of things
has been brought about by the officers and
agents of The Telegraph lines. The whole mat
ter of reporipg for the newspapers is in the
hands of MIR. Reid, of Philadep phia who is also
Superintendent of the Telegraph lines from
Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh He
has undertaken to control the dispatches, as
we'll as to prepare them for the press. He has
selected the reporters, and very incompetent
set they have proved to be. The press has been
powerless in the matter, and has had nothing to
DO except to pay whatever prices has been put
npon the reports.