Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-01-12
From the Ravenna Democrat. - . 2
Tho Geneva Weekly Times

This is the title of new paper just
issued at Geneva, Ashtabula County,
Ohio, by e, H. Thorp, and edited By
Warren T: Spencer. 1t is published at
one dollar, AMI fifty cents per year. 1t
is little more than halfthe size ofthc Ash
ta6atla Sentinel, and neatly printed. The
publisher and editors are strangers to us.
We, of course, can bear them no i'll will.
On the contrary, we wish them prosperity
and an honorable fame. But, our deci-r
ded conviction is, that they would be
much more likely to accomplish both,
We're their manifest capabilities and en-
ergies directed in some other channel than
that OF ppoducinga small and compar-
atiyely inconsequential hebdomidal, in an
obscure, and in point of commanding
position, unimportant,. .thoughit may be
a pleasant, thriving and local, country VIII
lage Without intending anything per-
sonal Or offensive to- the worthy gentle
men Of the Times, we will make this the
occasion Of submitting a few remarks
ON the imipolicy of multiplying county
neEspapers.R .1siiEd n hHf ,mGdtsl
Z The remark is frequently made, and
truly, not--with hostility to educational
interests, but the contrary, that there are
too MANY Colleges in Ohio, and the west
The result is, that all, or nearly all, are
embarrassed and feebly, poorly endowed,
and seantily equipped with Libraries and
apparatus, and hence incapable Of bring
ing scholarship up that high standard
which a fewerinumber, and consequently,
stronger, better, endowed, . and more Ell
ficient institutions would be able to do.
And so regard to newspapers Fewer,
strongef9 better equipped,and ADLER jour
mails would better otheI work of public
enlightenment q than the gsickly spawn of
hebdomad'ls that now oy''rspread the land,
These small papers make no money for
their proprietors. BY means of them,
they may. exc, out a scant, embarrassed,
precarious living. Substantial accumu-
lation Beyond that, il, ordinarily, out of
question e Hence these small papers
catching at teEery starw orpromise offtpa-
tronage, q asst is called, become the prey
Of numerous, ,swindling g; Advertising
Agencies and fill their columns with
patent medicine and other advertisements
for most ef.which they are cheated out
of their pay. Papers TINS conducted, ON
the starvation plan, are apt TO yield)to
thetemptation. to ''rat" on prices, and thus
add to the final embarraSsm ent which
they vainly struggle to avert. 3etia 81 81
Papers of this class cannot reach a
high order of excellence Often in q
literary point of view, they, are beneath
criticism, Dwaffed and sickly, they
often fall into the handsof incompetent
men! 0ftenh have sheets Of this chafac-
ter fallen under our notice, whose editors
ial columns constantly violated the first
p ,incip,e5 OF, language, ,gramn a., and Or
biography. Thtir conductors, unedu-
cite al d ;liiterate were net c3m ct o
elevate and refine their readers, but would
of necessity lead them into, errors and
mistakes. 1t is we'll to know that news
papers arc the most efficient educat ors Of
the times and hence their true useful
ness can only be secured, by being in
hands. - ''
There are now in the county of Ashta-
bula, including the Tines FOUR news
papers. 1t would be better if all were
in one Then, the one jour
nal, would have.a strength, and resource
to build up leading newspaper Of com
Influence and prestige which
neither, in their divided fields of labor
can hope to reach Each of the editors
of the Ashtabula county papers, has
talent, experience and eapability enough,
to conduct well, successfully and with
credit, such a consolidated paper as We
speak of A paper, thus consolidated,
could have a local agency In each of the
thriving villages OF the county, which
would answer every business and news
paper want; and the paper would not only
be preeminently creditable to the county,
but would be anhonorto the State, and
to journalism itself As it is, all will re-
main but respectable village newspapers.
Thus, with one paper in a County, which,
in the common run of counties is enough,
public and personal interests would be
better subserved and county journalism
would reach the rank and influence to
which it is entitled. Would that these
things were better ordered A a.i'
w hat is true of Ashtahula County, is,
also, true of many other counties Stark
for example has some, FIVE newspapers,
Columbiana about the same and so on.
We ask pardon Of our respected Ash
tabula cotemporaries, if any is needed, for
SO freely referring to them as an illustra.
ton, to point the moral to this our homily.
If halt, the country newspapers of the
present day were obliberated by consoli-
dation, it would not only be hetter for
the newspaper establishments themselves,
but better for the general intelligence
and public improvement of communities
By consolidation thriving and prosperous
establishments could be built up, import
ant improvements could be made and the
and experience SO desirable in
ali Journals, could in all cases be secured.
The multiplication of journals, and the
insane competition in prices, which is the
result, cripple and dwarf the country
while the great metropolitan |
press, throwing out their weekly sheets
cheaply made up. from their daily issues,
overshadow the whole We know that
many country editor spends a toilsome,
life, unknown & uncared for,
whose endowments and capabilities, nat
nral and acquired, would cause him in
other situations, to shine; to be estimat- !
ed at his true value !; to be widely infuen-
tial in the land But all this grand OPP
portunity is thrown away, andrthe best