American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-06-14

journalist, let us by all means wei
come and encourage him, but let us
advise him that ours is q
JEALOUS MISTRESS,
who will not be satisfied with di
vided fealty, and declines to bestow
the full measure of her inspiration
upon him who woos her only for
time or for special purpose. She
demands of her VotaripS absolute,
unqualified and undivided devO-
ton.
The question of
DEADHEADISM
is lust now being extensively dis
cusSed by the metropolitan iourn-
ais. all of whom are down on the
system and | notice that the Press
! Convention of Tennessee has form
ally pronounced against il. Most
of you have doubtless read the very
| fine address of Mr.. Watterson, of
the Louisville Courier-JournaI, de-
livered before the Indiana Conven-
ton of Editors. Mr.. Watterson
takes the ground that newspaper
deadheadism is prcjudIcfai to both
the interest and the dignity Of the
press, and Ought to be speedily and
absolutely abolished. He argues
! the case very beautifully, and for
my part | would like to be able to
! fall into his view of it-but cannot.
The doctrine is too inconvenient,
just now. Some of these days, per
! hapS. when we all make fortunes,
I Il
/ ing Mr.. Watterson's views. Cir
cumstances alter cases, and conduc-
tors of country papers need not put
on any city airs about so mild a
thing az Il free pass. 1t is 40 par
ticular duty OF ours to look at the
question from the standpoint occu-
pied by the full handed managers
of the opulent city journals. III
reference to this matter of dead.
or not to go?'-that.iS the question.
1t may be quite creditable in Mr..
Watterson to refuse pass,-I like
tne spirit that is in him,-but |
think it would be a piece of senti-
/ mental weakness in me to do so,
/ provided it WAS necessary for me to
travel over the road ut all. Hence,
gentlemen, as l imagine you are
not especially interested i'll restrict
| ing the travel of this Association to
Il ridicul0usly small number of its
members, i hazard the advice that
we can safely continue to accept,
with thanks, the generous courtesy
of our railroad managers, as least
until we get little richer than we
are at present.
TIE PHILOSOPHER STONE.
An old country journalist, with
/ large and varied experience, and
many years of thankless toll and
I weary tribulation, achieved the
| goal of success ut last. and lays
! down this discovery as the secret:
/ - The greatest enemies to success
in conducting country paper. are
! the credit system and gratuiIOus
advertising or putting
| l think the Old mar is right, and
that we might materially aid eacIl
other by agreeing upon some fair
basis for Il tariff of charges and
modes of payment, and having fix
ed our rates adhere to them. The
publisher who places "a light value
upon his space need not he sur
prised if the advertising public Il o
SO too. The advertising space in
most country newspapers is the
MAIN SOURCE OF REVENUE.
1t should be husbanded with care,
and only such advertisements as are
rrmuncrative should be admitted.
The practice of filling upf with I'M
paid prOSpectnses and dead matter,
or of " doubling" is always disas-
! trous. Under no stress of cream
stances should publishers permit it,.
! If remunerative adveI Using fall of
so that his forces is not sufficient to
I fill his vacant columns with i've
reading matter, then the Publisher
ought always to enSmall his piper,
rather than deface it in the manner
mentioned.
The Press of Mississippi, as in
other States, is becoming
AN IMPORTANT INTEREST,
without considering now its vast in
| iluence. Hundreds of men get their
bread by it. and hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars are invested direct
~ and indirectly in it. 1t is getting
time that we should endeavOr TO
systematic it, and claim for it, in d
business seuse, that recognition
which is its dine. Surely we onght
TO be able, after putting all our
heads together, to arrive at IA toler
ably correct idea of what our work
is intrinsically worth. Having done
this, then 1t is right and proper to
charge what the work is worth, and
no more, and abandon the habit,
which has obtained with some of us,
of an incessaat deviation in the
price of our labor. | am aware that
there are cases justifying deviation,
but let such cases be the exception,
and not the rule. All the imagina
ry f
DIFFICULTIES WITH ADVERTISING
AGENTS
will be solved, if we fix our own
rates and adhere to them. II Is
true one ambitious advertising
agent i'll Cincinnati. Mr.. DeGoIyer.
generously proposed to take this
trouble off our hands, and asked
towell's Convention of Advertising
\ gents, recently assembled in New
: York, to fix tariff OF rates for us