Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1871-06-22

iounger and toilcr by turns, with no
higher aim than to be acknowledged
as "A semi respectable panper, to whom
pay is charity, and support is patroa.
age modern Daniel condemned to
see all the lions wi hout ever paving n
cent hat starved bore and heygsr,
dunning and implorinc, week after
week, for ANYTHING to pay for his ser,
vices, from green wood To frozen tur-
nips III person ragged, ink .daubei,
unmanncrly slouch, whose earthly
ambition IL to get whole sui, at once
of new clothes, to be paid for by his
putiing, and whose greatest intellectu.
al efforts eliminate in bandying dirty
personalities with some contemplate
blackguard,
Though we, "a \ profession, would
resent As an insult the intima,ion tha,
our ranks could furnish the actual sub.
ject for such photograph, yet i, is
not altogether certain that, scattered
around among us, may not be found
some OF the elements To be magutied
into such a persohation. The popular
types Of the classes of society are but
the exaggcrations Of the faults of the
class, aud may we not find IN the act.
nal editor the foundation for the faults
attributed to the ideal ones.
4 1t cannot be denied tha, there are
respects in which our profession can
be raised, not only in the popular es.
tccn, hut, what is of more importance,
in its own self.rcgard. Aud perhaps,
no one necessary quality is more mex.
iny among the conductors at the local
press than practical self.appreciation,
The editor who writes himself down,
week after week, as a sycophant or a
bc-gar, need not wonder if the pupIic
think of him only in those characters
and forget him as an editor.
Most, il not all the popular mlsap
prchensinns of the newspapers rela
tons to the public, with their resulting
, nprulitableness to the publisher and
ANNOYANCE to the editor, are dne ic
the failure of the editor himself t.
appreciate the necessity of conducting
his paper, in all its business relations
tn others, upon business principles.
Wherever business treuch,s itself up
on editorship it should be recognized
and treated as matter of business.
In the local paper, especially, arr
the two functions of editor aud pub
Usher most intimately blended - gen
eralv combined in single individua
and good publishing il az essential
indeed, we think more SO, tn the lii'
of the local paper, than good editing
II the editor il the brains. the pnh
usher IL ,te heart of the paper and
well balanced ledger is ahsou,ely y
essential To well conducted paper, --
The object Of the editor should be I,
make a good paper; the object of the
publisher should he to make it pay
aud the two shoul | work together Ike
the heart and brain ot a healthy man.
4 too low estimate placed by the
publisher upon the business depart.
meui, chrapens and lowers the editor.
iaI standing of his sheet. A paper
established or conducted upon any
other basis than that of supplying n
bu>iues. demand OF ths community
to be paid for A. other business, nee.
essariIy holds its editorial columns
open to purchase, importunity or die.
tatinn OF whomsoever it may concern.
There ls natural correlation between
gratnitnus advertising aud subservi.
vnt editing.
We may conceive perfect paper
of the future, IN which even the al
yer,isements shal! be edited; Int that
time has not yet come, nor the public
have never been taught AZ they ought
To be. the distinctions between the
editorial opinions that should always
be unpurchasable, and the advertls
ing space that ought always to be
paid Tor.
| | speak thus plainly Of this homrly
bat most essential subject, because il
seems to be so ignored hy 50 many oi
the conductors Of local papers; and
because it is 4 matter that the public
cannot be expected to appreciate -
The question whether paper pays,
j. the last 10 trouble the public mind.
So great is the popular faith in some
kind pt alchemy by which the nothing
of public approval il converted into
the substantial something IT business
prosperity, that the people always be.
licve a paper with tolerable sub
scriptiou list to be, If not GINNING
dncats," at least doing well enongh.
Much of this apprehension Of the
relation To- the puhllc, by which it il
first pa'rouized aud then despisei, is
the natural, if not necessary, result Of
the unbusiness like relations that the
ne ewspapers have SO bong sustained to
the politlcIans-particnlarly oi mat
-" bas.r sort" To whom parties are
Office distributing machines, and pa
prrs are the moiiv. power by which
they ARE kept rurnlLg.
In the eally days Of our Republic,
when papers were few and politicians
were statesmen where oratory was
power ~ the land whrre III. stump
was the forum Of tn" people, and the
speeches of the lea ling Statesmen (;
were the party text books. the news.
,auers echoed the pplititians and were