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

l dId hope that our brethren ell
gagged IN this one-Sided, or perhaps
| hould say patent sided, business
wonld grow sick of it and voIuuta-
rily abandon it. But the s!systcrn"
seems to flourish under the peltings
of Tidicule and the storms of denun-
citation which have been hurled
against 1t. 1t has grown to such
dimensions that there is serious
cause to fear that even our \ sSOcia-
ton will soon be composed of ma
Jority OF patent outsiders or III
siders. | should consider this Il
great evil to the Press OF MISSISSIPPI
pl. There Is poverty enough, the
good Lord knows, in our craft now.
We do enough work already for
which we receive no pay, to satisfy
the most misery enemy we have
got. But when. a majority of our
brethren obtain their consents to
publish
ONE WHOLE SIDE
of their respective papers gratnit-
Ously, tremble on account of the
rapidIty of our advances backward
in the direction of the pOor-house.
1t looks to me like man who WEEDS
himself to a patent outside or inside
not only accepts but invites assured
poverty, which Is certain to cling to
him as close as the shirt of NesSuS.
There can be no true emancipation
nor no solid prosperity in the case
of one who has half OF himself par
alyZed. 1t is IA thing which serious
ly affects not only the material in
terest, but the responsibility and
usefulness of the press, and it can
be discussed in this convention
with as much propriety as any 9th
er question affecting our fortunes
and standing. But if you touch t
at all, may not ask its advocates.
as we'll as its opponents, to do so in
the genuine spirit of fraternity !
There is no good reason for any
Over-SenSitiveneSs on the one side
or diScOurteOus amin adversions on
the other. Let us discuss the 0ues-
ton, if we discuss it at all, like men
and brethren, actuated by a sincere
desire to learn its real bearings upon
whose honor. efficiency and dignity
we are all alike enlisted.
Other questions will come up for
your consideration, gentlemen, but
l will not detain yon further by adj
verting to them. Allow ne, in con
cluSion, to urge upon You the con
tlnued observance of those "Sweet
small courtesies of life which have
SO happily characterized an the de-
liberationS of our former Conven-
/ tlons. Asking your kind indul-
gencc for myself while attempt to
discharge the duties OF the place
yOn have assigned to me, | beg You
also to be tolerant and liberal and
patient with each other, SO that
when we adjourn there may rest
upon each and every one of us an
abiding sensation that it wus good
! for us to be here. Already the close
observer can discover many happy
and really beneficial results which
have come from eur annual cOnven-
tons. Acquaintance hegetS Il bet
/ ter appreciation; contact stimulates
/ friendship; Intercourse facilitates
mutual admiration discussion evi-
dences congeniality and opens up
avenues for the ingresS of new
| ideas the clashes of mind against
mind sharpen vnr wits and give us
Il better relish for the humorous as
well as the solid meats We have to
feed on. AS we all come here de
termiaed to be amiabie, we derive
great benefit III the way of reiaXa-
ton produced by the novelty of
that sort OF feeling. We go from
/ here back to our several tripods
with a store of good humor which
we can draw upon until the next
convention meets. We are Gll-'l
Nth ii lively emulation to oulstrip
each other. The natural result of
Jail this is necessarily, better papers,
more industriously edited and
carefully printed Let any man
who is Sllcpticil about the improve
nents in the press of Mississippi
compare the journals OF to-day with
those of fifteen or twenty years ago.
He will be surprised at the contrast.
Our Association, though it may in
some slight degree he amenable to
| the charge OF ii ''mutual admiration
society,"" has, nevertheless. done
much to help along these improve
ments, and it will do much more.
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