Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-12-12
The Country Press.

The Country Press.
In our last weeks paper we copied from
an exchange strong article on that por-
ton of the report of the Postmaster Gene
raj wherein he suggests that all newspa-
pers and periodicals should be prepaid at
the office of mailing. Apart from the OBJ
jections suggested by our contemporary,
there are many others which address them
selves with especial force to the publishers
and subscribers of country papers.
This scheme of the Postmaster General
is but another step in the march of central
ization, in which SO much progress has
been made by the present administration.
It's effect cannot be otherwise than to break
down the small country papers, which are
mainly of local value in their immediate
communities, and to build up the large city
papers and thus give to these wealthy con-
Germs an entire monopoly of the newspaper
business. Everybody connected with the
craft knows that the advertisements alone
are remunerative; subscriptions never, ex-
cept in as far as a numerous subscription
list brings large advertising business.
Now the circulation of the city dailies is
very large and the papers are delivered by
carriers free of postage. So the law will
not reach them, for but few country
people take daily through the mail
And then the city daily having large
field to operate in makes large profits, and
therefore is justified in obtaining and
using large amount of capital, and is
sufficiently Independent to be enabled to
refuse any advertisement or subscription
unless the money for the same is paid in
advance. Then again the city weekly is
published at little if any expense. Eve
ry article and every item in it has already
been set in type and used for the daily, so
that it is only necessary to make selection
from matter already published for the be-
neft of the country readers. Thus it is
that the subscription to the great weeklies
is so low. And even this very low price
pays them very handsomely, because they
are only at the expense of press work and
paper used; and they can well afford to
advocate the proposed change, because
they receive their subscription in cash be-
fore sending single paper, and would in
the same way require the postage to be
prepaid them. But the state of the case
is entirely different with the country pa
pers. Their capital is small, their income
limited and precarious, and their expenses
are much greater in proportion than those
of the city papers. But whilst this is so
we believe their influence for good is vast
~ greater, because they reach the agricul-
tural and conservative people. To illus
trate: The proprietor of country paper
is generally man in limited circumstan-
ces, his employees are in the same catego-
ny. They are dependent upon their daily
labor for their support. They have no
steam engine or other appliances to light
en- and cheaper their labor, but all the
work about the office is necessarily done
by hand. There are no fine gentlemen or
idlers to be found there, but it is steady,
hard and unremitting labor from early
morn until darkness casts its shadow on
the earth-from Monday morning until
Saturday night. Nor do the labors of the
editor cease with darkness, for it is then
and then only he takes time to look over
his exchanges to make and collate such
items of news and matters of interest as
will suit the peculiar taste of his readers.
And it is only then that he is able to pre-
pare his editorials on matters of public i'm
port. In order thus to furnish his readers
with news and reading matter he is COM
PEELED to take newspapers and magazines
without number. We ourself take large
dailies from New York, Philadelphia and
Baltimore, irrespective ofpolitics, and also
several of the most valuable magazines,
for all Of which we have to pay not only
the postage, bat in some instances the sub
scription price. Besides this, we exchange
with large number of weeklies from Ma
ryland and other States, and for which we
only pay the postage; then we have to
buy our material, and for this also we have
to pay the cash. Thus, it will be seen,
that our expenses are very heavy, but how
heavy none but the initiated can form a
proper estimate. Then, on the other hand,
what is the incomes We have said it was
small and precarious. Small, because our
population is sparse and the nature of
their pursuits does not require much adj
vertising. Precarious, because of the very
nature of the case we must do more or less
of credit business. Farmers only have
money periodically when their crops are
sold. The merchant, the doctor, the law
yer and the printer, all must credit them
in their turn or do no business. It is true
that as class they are scrupulously honest
in paying their debts, but then again they
are often very slow, and sometimes mis-
fortunes overtake them-sickness, failure
of crops and insolvency--then we lose
everything; and it is safe to say that this
loss amounts to ten per cent. of our earn
ings. Thus our readers can readily under
stand that if at the end of the year we
make both ends meet and get our living,