Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-03-25
RAFTING PUBLISHERS.

EAIIlNG PUBLISHERS.
The term Rat" anong printers, applies to
one of the cra.t who works for less than the es-
,eblshed prices and as may be supposed, 10
species OF yarrnent" are'considered more des-
pisable about printing office than :" Rots. >
Such has ever been the adherence with which
this class OF workmen are viewed, lat many .
newspaper publisher. rather thaa employ them,
has paid his vorlsnen prices far above taose
warranted " the busiacss Of bis establishment,
for no good hand can BE induced TO work IN III
Office with " Rats" Bot there another class
of Rats on whom al honorable gentlemen Of
the Graf. lock y i'll more adherence, than upon
the Jour who works t5r half pay. They are
usually found ii err ropulous cities, and from
the positions they occupy, are capable Of doing
far greater injury II their brutIeren Of the
Press, than all tie rating iours IN CbrisendoIn.
We allude to those publishers Of city papers
who make up Weekly edition from their Daily
Issues, and put tie subscription price but little
above the actual cost Of the blank paper used.
The circulation Of country p1pers are greatly
diminished BY these Dollar Meei5lies," for the
reason that subscribers Tor q newspaper, like
purchasers of any ether article, are disposed to
buy that for which they can get the greatest
amount for their rnoney.--We know i Is frequent
" urged by the city rating establishments
that country papers should depend upon !oca!
,sc4s, 10 keep up an interest tina. shall render q
paper popular and increase its circulation, and
many of them consider country editor out Of his
line Of duty if ne attempts to speak upon an :
subject other than that Immediately connected
within his particular locality. Such a view
may serve TO ease a few consciences shat other
wise might be disturbed in consequence Of the
unfair course pursued by the city press, but We
imagine publishers Of country papers, &c claim {
jurisdiction" lIttle more extensive than that
allowed them by their city contemporaries.
The inquiry IS o.,en made how It IS that these
city establishments can afford q large. eight
column paper, with few if any advertisements,
at one dollar year, when the country papers
can scarcely live At one dollar and half fer 4
much smaller sheet, nearly half OF which IS
flied with advertisements The secret Is here:
All the matter Of the city wccklies IS taken
from the dailies, for which they are generally
well paio. i advertising and subscription.
Some of them are kept up by contributions, for
the purpose Of scattering abroad the principles
Of particular party. We Go not believe there
is weekly newspaper published in the United
States at one dollar a wear, that VIII pay ex-
penses, if the proprietor paid for the type-set-
ting Of the matter IL the weekly alone. We
have complaints to make against publishers
who make an honorable effort to extend Tie cir
cula;ion Of their papers. But selling a news
paper al one dollar 4 year that is honestly worth
both to the publisher and The render two or
three times that sum-, IS not an honorable way
of securing subscribers. We have now before
Dollar Weekly, published IN Milwaukee, the
bare typese-tins for which, If PAID foras We have
10 pay for ours cannot amount to less than
$4,000 4 yea +: 50 that It viii take two thou
sand subscribers to pay for the type-sottiue
alone. Their paper costs not less than Lal5 that
sum, and when We add other expenses, it viii
be found that from eight to ten thousand sub
scribers would be necessary TO meet tie ex-
penses, which Is a number, We presume larger
than any paper in Wisconsin can boast Of
With fair, honorable competition, tie country
presses are willing to contend, let that COMPETE
ton come from where it may but these city
{" RAJ shops should be frowued upon by every
man IN the community, ana We hope the pub
Eshers Of country newspapers will throw their
influence against all such papers, from what
ever source.