Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-02-14
Reform Needed.

An editor is the worst abused man in an
community. He may say thousand smar
and witty things, and give the best advice OF
all subjects, without ever being thanked by an,
body. He may work, while others sleep, unit
his brain is exhausted and his body skeleton
and it is all taken by the community as mat
ter of course, deserving no commendation OF
thought. He must pay every exorbtant bill
that may be presented, whether anybody pays
him or not and be always ready to advance
the interests of other people. by yielding his
space, and the influence of his paper, to every
| silly scheme that may be concocted for making
money or achieving glory.
| A man desires to establish business. He
rents house, pays his license, the gas bill, the
water tax, the drayman-but the editor must
puff him for nothing. Another is ambitious
to achieve fame in the lecture field. He pays
| for his hand-bills, pays his travelling agent,
pays for the use Of the hall he uses, pays for
| gas, pays his hotel bill-but the poor editor
must take free ticket for has pay, and pub
| lish half dozen announcements, and long
puff of the lecture, besides. Again, some di-
vine who is either distinguished. or desires to
be, has an appointment to preach at certain
church at particular time. The fact must be
announced through the press, and, though such
| announcement is to all intents and purposes an
| advertisement, the editor must insert it for
nothing
A man who happens to belong to some ben
e6cial or other Society. following the ordinary
fiat of nature, dies, and forthwith tribute of
respect, covering long series of windy resolu-
tlons, of no more interest to the editor than
domestic quarrel in the Fejee Islands, is
transmitted to him, with the modest request
that he will publish them. If the deceased
happens to be member of no Society, some
friend promptly volunteers to get up as long an
obituary notice as possible, which is at once
submitted to the editor for publication, not as
a favor, simply, but as duty.
The truth is, there is nobody and nothing
which the unrefecting public will not pay ex-
cept the editor. Thousands of things are car
red to the paper, to fill up with, under the
impression that the whole secret of editorial
success lies in ''piling in" copy, as Grant piled
in men before Richmond, until there is no room
for more.
Now, it is about time this prostitution of the
press to the service of everybody who feels in
need of its influence, should be stopped
Newspapers are as much private property as
houses, lands, horses and wagons. The editor
has rights as well as other people, and they
should be respected. IF his influence is worth
having, it is worth paying for. His space is as
much his property as his hat or his bed. and
the general public have no more right to ap-
prOprlate IL TO tnelr private uses, tnan they
have to drink the bar keepers whiskey, eat
the hotel-keeper's dinner, or ride the horses
at the livery stable, free of charge.
1t should be borne in mind that though eve
ry body imagines he knows precisely how to
run newspaper, and is capable of giving sage
advice on the subject, there never was a great
er fallacy. Every letter which is handled by
the compositors, whether in setting up pufs
or quack medicines, complimentary notices of
worthless inventions. Communications of still
born lectures, or legitimate advertisements,
must be paid for by the editor. When Satur-
day night comes the compositors are as inexor-
able as death and taxes" the amount of
their earnings must be promptly paid or the
newspaper suspends.
Now we ask the public, in all sincerity, if
the newspapers have not submitted to these
unjust and oppressive rules about long enough
Is it not time the editor was placed upon
footing with other people, and paid for his SER
vices -Lynchburg Republican.