The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-02-22
NEED OF A PRESS CONVENTION.

. We never attended an editors or
newspaper convention in our life. We
never knew one in this State which act
ed especially in the, interest of news
papers-they were all party or political
conventions. A newspaper convention
that would cOnfine it's attention exclu-
sively to newspaper matters, without
regard to politics, might accomplish a
great deal Of good. A State Newspa-
per Union could be formed, rates of
subscription and advertising regulated,
SO as to accord with some common plan
subscription for instance, according
to size and cost Of white paper; and adj
vertising according to circulation. But
above all things, q combination could
be formed against rascally advertising
agents, by which they could he put
down or ruled out. If every newspaper
publisher in the State would have the
same rules and terms for foreign adver-
tisements, reasonable ones of course,
and stick to them, they would receive
more money for less work. They
would receive something for all they
do; hitherto they have done a great
deal for which they received nothing.
Another important matter a press con-
ventiOn might regulate-sOme pub
fishers, for the vain show of II large
sheet, fill up with stereotype plates,
large cuts, prOspectuses of other papers,
magazines, &c, for comparatively
nothing. This is an unintentional
fraud on. themselves as we'll as on other
publishers. If they would cut down
their big sheets to a convenient and in
dependent size, these gratuitous adver-
tisements would be excluded; they
would then come in, though less in
number, as pay advertisements. They
would be generally distributed among
all the newspapers, while now they are
confined to those kind publishers who
insert them, some for nothing, and for
the others comparatively nOthing-and
often they are cheated out Of that.
A paper, however, very small in size,
with no circulation, and filled ND with
such advertisements, requires but little
labor and capital to run it, and can
afford to do work for little OF nothing.
A press convention could fix the status
Of that class Of papers, by the others in
a body declining to do work on the same
terms. Wehave been refused an adver-
tisement because we would not publish
it for the same price that another paper
did, the edition of which was only
three quires, or seventy-tr0 copies, per
week!
We would like to attend O. State press
convention that would attend to such
matters as these. Our attention has
been turned to this subject, just now,
by the following paragraph from the
Baton Rouge Ga@ette and Comet. We
have suffered in the same way, and from
some of the same parties, mentioned
therein. The only way to put a stop to
the evil is to meet and agree upon a. re-
medal plan. The city papers have
their WI rules, and Of course are not
included. The evil exists only among
the country papers, and they only need
be represented in such a convention.
If one should be called, Baton Rouge
being easy of ces from all parts of
the State, would be a good place to
hold it. This is the paragraph from
the Gazette and Comet:
We are glad to see that the Western
Press Associations have commenced an
active war against New York Adver-
tising Agents, who, it appears, have
formed a ring to compel publishers to
take their favOrs at starvation prices.
The way the sharks work it on the pub
Usher is very frigid. From our exDe-
rience with some of them, we would
judge that they make q pretty good
thing out of their transactions, as they
not only get IS per cent. on less than
half price advertisements, but some of
them fail to settle even in the small
pittance allowed the printer. Among
this class Of .very liberal agents we would
name Mr.: Thos. Tardrew, who, in com
pany with Mr. E. c. Wharton, failed in
New Orleans three or four years agO
by which this office lost a considerable
duIOuub dIUGFWdFuS opened an poncV
in New York, and the result Of his
transactions with this Office may be seen
on the debtor side of his account. 9th
er agents in New York are more prompt
than he, but the reason of this is that
they prOfer SO little for a large amount
OF space that they can wellafford to a
Now the query rests: How much profit
do they make on the publisher I? That
depends on the amount they make the
advertiser pay, and we presume thew
never fail to charge him enough. We
are opposedto these schemes to swindle
the servant out OF his wage and we
would be glad to see our friends of the
press join with US in the determination
not to accept any offer from them which
does not come up to the rates charged
local patrons. If q business man in
New York or elsewhere cannot afford to
pay u the same price we charge Jul
local patrons, we don't wish his favors,
To the contrary, if we are to discrimi.
nate between advertisers at all, we will
make the discrimination in favor OF
local patrons. That is our platform,
Advertising agents will take due notice
and govern themselves accordingly.
Lands Restored to Entry Under
the Homestead Law
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