The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-07-29
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
Richmond. July ~. 1883.
THE COUNTRY PRESS

OF our available resources In the preparation OF
daily paper, we are often panied to see evi.
dences of inadequate support and pecuniary
embarrassment. The evil is confined to no one
locality but appears in various forms, East,
West, North and South. The dun insinua-
ting, the dun direct, and the announcement in
winter of "wood wanted at this Office" are all
equally suggestive of hard work, poor pay and
low spirits. We know by personal observa.
| ton what such things mean, and cannot help
| adding a few reflections. There is not in The
world, class of men who are SO wretchedly
| remunerated for their services as the conduc.
| tors OF the country press. They toll from week
| to week, and year to year. fixed to one spot,
| and strain every nerve to give their readers the
| latest news, and the best materials for thought.
They accomplish fur more for the Intellectual
advancement of society than any existing agen-
cy. Yet all this toll is without compensation,
| for surely it cannot be supposed that bare
and scanty subsistence, with debt and ruin
ever doggng one through life, can compensate
| any man for years of patient and unwearying
| toll. Talk of the self denial of the Missiona.
ries, at home or abroad Their life is one of
| absolute happiness and leisure compared with
| that Of an editor in the country. The mission.
| ary is sure Of having wherewithal to "keep the
wolf from the door"-he knows that public
| sentiment and charity will save him from the
sheriff clutches, and that he will never know
the extremity of want. He can walk abroad
and recruit his strength at least FIVE or six days
in the week, and although subject TO many
annoyances, can, like the old pamers in
scandal shoon," with staff and scallop.sheIl,
see much of of"adyenturous lies variety.' He
| is stranger to manual labor, and, usually, 10
anything like intense.mental exertion. There
are exceptions-most honorable ones-but we
| have seen some missionaries, the very counter
part of the ''lirle, fat, round, oily man of God,"
| described in Thompson's Castle of Incidence
| Not such is the condition or fate OF the coun
| try editor. He not seldom unites in his own
| person as MANY functions as old Brierius is
| said to have had of hands. He sets types,
| imposes forms, works press, writes editorials,
makes selections, reads proofs, keeps books,
| mails papers, duns his subscribers, acts as Sec
retary to all the benevolent societies within 10
miles, (which are, for the time, too unpopular
TO secure the services of some bigger "bug"
| with smaller brains,) chops wood, rocks the
crcdle, pufs every two and. six penny sub
scribeT weekly, gratis, and supplies his table
with vegetables from patch which he culti-
Yates in the rear of his office. Leisure is a
word which he has seen in the dictionary
holydays, something to be enjoyed by all ex-
! cept the "printer." His columns are narrow, ,
and his type large, but if any OF the local mag
mates happen to have perpetrated an essay,
or fourth OF July oration, of eight or ten co..
lumns, or villainous piece of doggerel on
| some still more vilanous subject, he meekiy
surrenders his sheet to their tender mercies,
aad robs the balance of his subscribers of their
| legitimate quantum OF news, to glorify these
| shallow pated, provincial tyros in literature.
| This last course is peculiar to the model edi
| tor of our times. Some, however, are coming
| to their senses, and refuse TO grant any ignora
mus even the Immortality Of a Seek, without
"vaiue received" And why not If men are
| fined for "indecent exposures" why not pay
| in like manner when, oftheir own accord, they
| expose themselves so egregiousiy through the
medium of newspaper? So long as the coun
try press stands in awe of the petty neig hbor-
hood tyrants which inf.st all commu mites
so long as editors, through fear of their indig'
nation, fare al; their lifetime subject unto
bondage" just so long, and NO longer, will
they fail to assume and maintain their legiti.
mate position and influence. We are glad TO
notice the gradual disenlhralment of the press
| from these lliputian bonds, and rejoice TO say
but few remain of the old school eoundin e
boards for the voices Of thankless and penny
less demagogues. Ths press, in country and
city alike, is asserting its true position and
prerogatives, and seems inclined no longer to
play The echo TO the voice of the mob, which.
by the way. in the words OF Cicero, "is no less
,yrani than if it were one man."
Let the press speak out boldly upon their
rights and privileges, every where. Let all
papers adopt the cash system in every trausac.
zion, and be, in fact and truth, independent
The result will be, not only competence and
honor to the editors and publishers, as we'll in
the rural districts as in places of more note and
pretension, but an increased parouag age-beaer
papers, and great advance in the public in.
tellgence. But on the old system, an editor
nigh! live to good old age on meagrs die,
Of bran-bread ard water crosses, garnished,
perchence, on holydays, with TIE ghost Of
starved mackerel, ard finally leave to bis wife
and children no better legacy than his SCISSORS,
bis paste pot, and we'll patched pair Of boots'
premaiurely wotn out in dunning delinquent
subscribers, Let each one say TO the public,
| lfyau want my paper, or an advertisements or
IN any way TO set yourself in print, Pqy Tor y;
il yon don't, lei il alone. 10 this way only
shall We ever come 10 have truly inderen
| dent press. s
SIGNS IN. MEXICO The Brownsvlle Flag
states that Mexican uoops are collecting IN
unusually large numbsrs Oh the Bio Grande.
II is also stated shats i, 10 beisayea on the Rio
| Grands tia, Ssnia Anna, believing the treaty
n