The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-02-04
The Roll of Honor.

Such is the heading in many county
papers of columns of names of subscri-
bers who have paid promptly the
amount due from them for the paper
for the year.
The following paragraph also ap-
pears III a large number of the same
class of papers:
ga sensible man in Maine, last week
willed 81 900 to each of his county pa
pers. If there is any gentleman in
this neighborhoOd arranging matters
for happy exit from this world we
call his attention to this Maine mans
action. That's ALL"
Now it may be said that these items
are none of our "kettle of fish, and
that it don't belong to us to say aught
in the matter. WedO, however, think
1t concerns US as member of the edi-
tOrial fraternity, sensitive to anything
that in any way affects the honor of
the profession.
We take it for granted that the
newspaper business is honorable, that
newspaper is well worth the sub
scriptiOn price, and that it is the duty
of every good citizen, if able, to take,
at least one of his county papers. If
these be so, then the payment for the
paper is a duty; the simple legal dis
charge of a legal obligation. Why
then is the paying subscriber entitled
to any special honor? He does his
duty as an honest man and nothing
more. He receives full value for his
money, and is no more entitled to
special mention as man of honor
than he who pays his grOcer's, his
shOemaker's or his tailOr's bill without
waiting to be sued. 1t looks like SER
Witty for publisher, who tolls as hard
as he must do to make decent paper,
to bend low the knee and indulge in
fulsOme fiattery to one who pays him
his just dues. 1t is degrading to the
profession so to do. 1t tends to con.
vey an idea that the paying subscriber
is rendering a great favor to one un-
worthy toreceive it.
! The same suggestions apply with
equal force to the second item named.
No one certainly would object to a
| benefice of a thousand dollars. or
more, but this strong hint to some
body to make one his beneficiary will
not unnaturally convey an idea that
the editor is beggar, which he is not,
or should not be.
The proper ground to take is, that
publishing or editing is business. The
newspaper is manufactured at great
cost of time, money, thought, and
reading. 1t is an article of merchan-
disc, honorably offered for sale, and
may be bought or not as one NAV
choose. The purchase or rejection in
wolves no question of honor, or calls
for servility on either part.
We believe we have said no more
than the circumstances Justify, and
we know we have been actuated by no
wish to dictate. Whatever affects our
brcthren's honor affects ours, and it
seems high time that the long prevaiI-
ing notion with many that a news
paper man is an object of charity
should be removed from the mind
! Ucreldnd Herald.
In the main we agree with the Her.
aid. 1t is small business for n news
paper publisher to beg anything and
we never do it. Our reason for pub
ishing Subscription Receipts" j" or
"ROll of Honor" is simply to suggest
to those in arrears that it is time they
were examining their receipts to see if
they ought not to go and do likewise
/ in fact, as dun to the careless. That
is why we do so and that is the reason
we now give our
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