The Kenosha telegraph and tribune. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1859-1860, 1860-02-02
Madison Correspondence.

| W. ACSROAheecRIces
(The following letter from Madison. shoul,
nave appeared last week, but the matter of tb.
TELEGRAPH was made up at the time the lette,
came to hapd.) @ IS. ssnss .aqs.t tn 4.
MADISON, Jan. 2sd 1860.
McSsrs. Editors ~
oiks - The newspaper "stear' is settled TO,
the present. This vered question, after having
been agltated in the Assembly for over a week
"l'h good deal OF feeling and interest," especially
on tue part of editors both for and against II
was settled for the time being on FRIDAY last A
resolution was adopted providing that the chic
ClerK should order newspapers to the amount O.
nine dailies for each member incndino chic
CLERK and Sergeantat arms, at the expense 81
1he o1ate' On Saturday, as consequence upon
thls newspaper steal" it was found necessary
TO again fitch from the peoples money to nav the
Pos'"ge' accordingly a resolution was adopted or.
oer'ng the Superintendent of Public Property. to
furnish the Chief Clerk with whatever postage
stamps were necessary to carry out the resolution
Vi rlday. Similar resolutions were adopted
iaSt year by both Senate and Assembly to furnish
the members, the chief clerks. and serpeants-at.
arms included, with six daily papers each, and
sIl lie postage stamps necessary to carry out the
resolutions. Under these resolutions there was
purloined from the State Treasury for newsna
pers $6,659 Is and for postage stamps So. 225 Al
making SiO,OS5 % thus squandered without hen.
ehttlng anybody except few newsuaper nub.
lishers IN Madison and Milwaukee. That my
readers may clearly understand why I call this a
newspaper steal" will state that if the resolu.
lions OF st year had been carried out to the let
ter, the newspapers would have amounted to
only $9l8 90 and the stamps TO about S4OO-
less than one seventh of the amount actually
paid + .Er ...
opposed every attempt to open the door for a
similar swindle from the commencement of the
present session, and for the first few DAYS with
some prospects of a success. But there was an
Immense quantity of mortgage sales and adver-
tlsements in general entitled" newspapers
rushed upon us without orders many of the
members having permitted these missiles to con
tinue, forwarding them to their constituents, f..
nally came to the conclusion that the bill must
be paid, and through selfshness, voted for the
resolutions on Friday and Saturday SO as to
avoid the payment themselves, at the expense of
the State. Thus found those who were true
to their first protessed determination to prevent
all unnecessary expenditure, so very few, when
there was the slightest prospect of small call
being made on their own pockets, that after the
resolution providing for postage stamps was adj
opted on Saturday, one of the liberalists, very
coolly remarked to me, not without good reason
either, that I had not "Corporal's guard left /"
alt has been urged in favor of this "ittle steal"
that the people are very anxious to know what
their members ale doing-besdes receive papers
as compliment otherwise they would think
that he members had forgotten them that it
is one way of disseminating knowledge, and that
there is nothing that the people will pay for
more cneerfully. Finally that we are indebted
to newspapers for the greater part of our infor-
nation, that they are the great educators of man,
as our common schools are of children, and as
equally deserving public support, and that it is
poor logic to make liberal appropriations for
common schools and nothing for ''poor printers"
This is all very good until the veil of sophistry
is lifted. The papers are sent almost invariably
to men in good circumstances, that are able to
pay for their papers, to men of influence, as com
piments to gain their favor for political purposes
while the poor man that is unable to paw for a
paper, and would be thankful to get one to read,
although he has contributed his mite out of his
hard earnings, towards paying the expense, is
entirely thgotten. That if we have a short SEES
sion, make only laws ofpublic utility, and no un
necessary appropriations, so that the taxes next
fall will be light, the people will consider that
they have received greater compliment than
they could from all the newspapers that could
be bestowed on them. If the full amount drawn
from the treasury, was returned TO the people IN
useful knowledge by this means, that there would
not be more than one person in fifty that would
receive any part Of it, and hence it is a great in
justice to force the fifty to contribute to the in
formation of the one without any CONDENSATION
whatever in return. Probably all will cheerfully
admit that those that are in debt for their infor
nation should pay their printers Were we
however to consider newspaper publishers in the
light OF public benefactors the educators of ma n.
and just as necessary in advancing his knowl-
edge as eur common schools are in educating the
children, and equally as deserving the fostering
care OF the Legislature, then it would certainly be
very unjust to make liberal appropriations, from
the public funds that have been collected from
every part OF the State, for a few leading iourn
ais in Madison and Milwaukee, that are able to
sustain themselves, while the middle men more
needy and equally laborious, throughout the
State-the hundred in the small cities, towns,
and villages, and the pioneers in this good work,
also like woodmen in the wilderness, have here
and there commenced small clearing in the
minds becouded with forest-like shadows of ig
norance, and entangled with a thick under
growth of superstition, receive not one cent
3 Although sthe press is of infinite benefit to
man, the beaconlght of Republican institutions,
and highly deserving the Individual patronage of
every well-wisher of his country, still the prin-
ter like other men, has chosen his vocation; like
almest any other business it will sustain itself,
and that there is no more good reason for distrib
uting the public fund to printers, than to doc
tors, merchants carpenters, whose several
callings are equally as meritorious. especially il
we let them tell their own stories. II think how
ever, that the printer can tell little the best
stOry.)