The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-11-13

RS for legal notices. We hope the Legis-
allure will have respect enough for justice
or its own character, and for the charc-
ter of the Stat@, to give Mr.. Wares bill
safe and pronkpt passage through both
houses. The lhw as it stands, Is not only
aagrantly unjust, but it is disgrace to
the legislation of the State. 1t was
doubtless framed and passed without due
and with no intention OF
the class of men to whom it APP
plies. 1t may charitably be supposed that
neither the eodifers, nor the Legislature
which examined and passed upon their
work, were sufficiently familiar with the
details of the newspaper business, to be
able to tell what would constitute fair
and living rate of compensation for work
done by publishers. This affords pallia-
ton of the wrong perpetrated by the pas
sage of the law in the first instance, of |
which we are disposed to give its authors |
the full benefit. But, now that they have |
been assured by every publisher in the |
State that the prescribed rates afford an
inadequate compensation for their labor
that they are less than the established
prices Of every Office in the country-that
publishers would starve and papers have
to suspend if they were forced to regu-
late all their charges by such standard
and after the injustice, impolicy and
absurdity of the whole thing have been
fully pointed outfit after all this, the law
is still retajpne upon the statute book, it
Git5fd {, s4staaeaeG Supreme. meap-
ness on small scale, to the credit Of
which, so fan. as we have been able to
learn, the Legislature of Mississippi alone,
out of ali the Legislatures of all the
| States in the Union, will be entitled. We
hope that when Mr. Wares bill comes to
a vote, there will be members enough in
both Houses who will remember to call
for the ayes and noes, in order that if 1t
should fail, the press Of the State will
know to whom they are indebted for the
retention Of this disgraceful and unjust
law, and what members they shall congrat-
ulate uron having distinguished them
selves as the possessors of a narrow-mind-
ed picayunishness which would do cred
it to a vendor of old clothes.
But we feel that we are doing injustice
to the present Legislature by admitting
the possibility of their failing to pass Mr..
Wares bill, and relieving an industrious,
useful, and poorly paid class of men from
a discrimination against their business
which is unjust in principle and oppres-
sive in practice. After all that has been
said on this subject, we cannot believe
tina. the Legislature will hesitate a mo
ment about repeating this law. Why
should they? Why, of all the various pur
suits to which the people of the State de
vote their time and labor, should ours be
singled out a. the subject of unjust an6
injurious legislation? This law not only
deprives the publisher Of fair remunera
tioa for that particular kind Of advertis
ing to which it refers, but it Injuries hi
bus ness by assuming to set valuation
upon his labor which he knows Is too low
and which it would ruin him were he t,
make his general charges coniormabl'
Herewith. The man who wants to adj
-, vrtise plantation, a runaway negro,
p, store, or anything else, has the say so o
! the Legislature that it is worth only s.
: much, and unless he believes the publish
q to be honest, and that he knows NOR
: ABOUT his own business than the Legisla
A.. tIrc does, he will be apt to think himsel
y svindled, when he is charged more thai
= t4s+egislature in its wisdom has declares
- ID be right In this manner the law ope
= rates to the constant injury Of publishers
i IN injury which is felt whenever they ar
j. allied upon to make an advertising cor
a pact with one of their customers, an
% one to which no other class or profession
q : subjected.
4 The thing is wrong in principle; tn
! I.cg;<Iature has no right thus to interfer
3 49, make itself No. the business tram
~ .-ssoI.s, wfiieff they siaVuitl "
left td,regulate for themselves. But evel
passin over this, and allowing that it wa
: proper for the law to prescribe the charg
= to be made against parties who are requil
ed to advertise in a newspaper, still til
provisions of this law are in the last dc
gee unjust and injurious to printers. i
: undertaking 10 fix the price at which the
" shouldwork, a living price ought to hav
e been allowed. 1t should not have bee
reduced to a little over one half Of tina
which the craft have universally settle
upon, and which the community are sati,
fed to pay. The rates prescribed by thi
Law are less than those charged by tn
PRESS in the Northern States, where tn
cost Of all kinds of mechanical labor, an
I the price of all material used in printin
- Is known to be greatly less than with US
! What would be thought, if the LegislG
u ture should pass law requiring a black
10 smith or carpenter who does work fo
~ an estate or for parties to a suit in Char
!, Gerry, or the merchant who sells ther
s. goods, to charge them less than the sam
w work could be done for, or the same good
y bough, for in New York or Boston? An
,e vet the same principle that would be il
If | volved in such a law as this, is containe
le in theprinters' fee bill.
m Buff it be said that inasmuch as tn
m Legislature compels parties in certai
n cases omake publications in a newspaper
. the Publisher thereby becomes in som
r. sense an officer Of the court, against who's
ed rapaciy it is proper to protect the part
be which the law in a measure places in hi
r.. power, and to prescribe his fees as it doe
a those Of administrators, sheriffs, clerks
to &C., still, the law as it exists is anythin
m but fair to the printer. The Probate Judge
ii Administrator or Executor, Sheriff Clerk
m &C.. are allowed fair remuneration 70
to their services, or at least such remunel
,st alton as they knew was attached to tn
al offices when they accepted them, an
er- their nav is secured. The printer, on tn
he contrary, is required to work for half pric
Oh and then get his money As he can-his fee
en- not being allowed to go in the bill of cost
re- along with other legal expenses.
But We have written more than we il
ais tended. We meant simply paragrap
on returning our thanks to Mr.. WARE, fo
sst the promptness with which he had brough
to this grievance of our craft to the notice {
Ne. the LeaialntnRa. In all civilized commU
-
W mites. the press IS looked upon as a
te, agency of enlightenment, civilization, an
II the diffusion Of knowledge, and it is cor
a sidered the part of wisdom and SCUM
Is, policy to regard it with friendly feelings
ig- and labor to promote its prosperity an
Is efficiency. Why this rule should be re
M versed in Mississippi we are unable
p tell. We ask no special legislation i
nd our favor-no peculiar privileges-no &C
We vantages over other pursuits. We as
tie simply to be placed on an equality wit
I'M others. and not have our business rune
DO, and our rights compromised by the uniu'
on interference of the law-making power
ire the State We ask only the simple char
tly ty of being let alone, and allowed to MAJ
tor age our own business. We hope there
T a sense enough, and justice enough in tn
he present Legislature, to vouchsafe us tn