The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1863-03-14
a MEAN ACT.

There was one little, mean trick done for
the publishers of newspapers, by the last
Legislature, just before Its adjournment.
A tax bill was rushed through, passing both
houses, on the day. before the Legislature
adjourned sine die, and was signed on the
same day by the Governor. As is always
the case, this hot haste in getting a measure
through was done for the purpose of hiding
some of its wrong provisions from investi-
cation. We speak in particular Of that pro-
vision which only allows printers to receive
ten cents per tract, or line, for advertising
lands to be sold for delinquent taxes, and FIVE
cents for town lots. The old price was
twenty five cents for tracts of land, and ten
cents for lots. We believe the universal
price of advertising. in all the newspapers of
this State, is ten cents per line for the first
insertion and five cents per line for each
subsequent insertion, with fair deduction
for yearly advertisements. The tax list is
required to be inserted four weeks, and each
tract makes a line-thus making Just the
amount charged by the printers for all other
advertising. When we consider that print
ers get their pay in county scrip-which.
taking all the counties together. will not
average over rs cents on the dollar-it
rather takes the profit of the job.
No printer who has any respect for his
paper, or the dignity of his business, will pub
lish the tax list in his columns tour weeks for
the present disgraceful price. He may posi-
bly, do it in supplement. We shall not print
ours more than once, anyhow, and then
shall throw the type in form and strike off
the other three weeks in supplement-, and
fold into our paper. We will stop our pa
per and quit the business before we will
work at starving prices, or permit man
who has filled his pockets with dishonest
fees from the people for services as lawyer
and landshark, to say that we shall work at
price which We feel is degrading to the
craft
If this cutting down of our advertising
fees were of any benefit to the county or the
people, we should not object to it. But the
lawyers and lsnk-sharks are the only ones
to be benefited. For instance: they own
several thousand imaginary towns in the
State, and if they don't come to time and
pay their taxes the ten cents per lot comes
heavy on them. Now, they only pay the
printer FIVE cents every three years. We
wish such miserable drones in society, who
are able to own thousands of acres of land
and town lots, and not able to improve a
foot of it, were taxed so that they would
have to sell every inch of their land
They are ol no benefit to our State. Why
did not these disinterested patriots intro
duce bill to cut down their own fees,
which are really unreasonable
If they had proposed to cut the print,
ers down to barely living price, even, we
should not have said anything. But, fol
one, we think it would have been better tc
have abolished the publication of the delin'
quent list, than to have asked printers tc
print it for price which they viii spurn tc
work for. We are down on ''rats" in al
shapes.
There has been disposition, on the par
of some men, to NEEDLE with printers pri
ces for legal advertising. Such proposition
always come from lawyers. Their fees ar,
much more burdensome than the printers
We hear more complaint about the fees o
these legal gentlemen than of the printers
Has there ever been any attempt to regulate
the attorneys fees by law We have on
i prices for work, and they are as cheap a
. we can afford We intend to have thOs
prices. or quit the business.