Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-04-01
The Country Press.

following timely words Of wisdom
from the Washington RCpubEc:;
A careful examination of severa
hundred Of our exchanges ha'
brought to us the conviction that
the county and village weclklie:
have greatly improved in usefulness
and power during the last decade.
The journals that are not wei
printed, and that present a repel
liant appearance to the reader, are
the exception, and are becoming
quite rare. They all pay a mucl
greater attention to local affairs
than in times past, and many o.
them are conducted with thought.
fulness and ability. One of the
most hopeful signs for their future
is their individuality and independ-
cnce.
The thunder of the city press,
which feels itself compelled to treat
every occurrence in q sensational
and theatrical manner, falls upon
unattentive ears. The country ed
itor has learned by long experience
that at the end of the week, when
his paper reaches the eye of the
public, u sensational article upon
the same subject would be as I'M
seasonable as q linen coat in a snow
storm.
Congressional legislation ought
not to throw obstacles in the way
of this truly educational interest !;
and we hope that all attempts to
compel prepayment of postage on
addressed to regular
will be abandoned. We
are also opposed to all interference
with the free carriage of exchange
papers, because postage tax
would greatly impair the usefulness
Of the hundreds of village papers,
which are so great convenience
to our citizens. The city press
would refuse to exchange unless
the county editor would pay the
postage on both publications, and
thus his channels Of information
would become narrowed down to
one or two daily papers and q few
weelIlies.
The free circulation Of the coun-
ty papers within the limits of the
county makes but little, if any, ad-
ditional cost to the Post Office De-
partment, and we hope that this
privilege will not be withdrawn.
1t is one of the special missions
of the Republican party to encour-
age education and to aid in the dis
semination of correct political
views, and we hope that its leadip g
men will not sanction a policy so re-
dictionary and unwise.
1t is precisely in proportion that
the local press is Independent and
influential and our citizens are full
ly informed, that the Republican
party has been sustained, and,
therefore, to strike at the country
press would be in the nature of o
removal of one of its maine pillars.
The village paper has converted
thousands of youths into readers,
writer's and thinkers, who would
have been utterly Indifferent to lit
erature if they had not had a
chance to appear in print upon
some local subject in their boyhood
or girlhood years. A town without
a paper is noveltity, it is sleepy
hollow without a poet to usher it
into fame. AS soon as a village be
comes ambitious to attract its
share of emigration, and to secure
to its citizens their share of, politi-
cal influence, a paper becomes q
necessity, and a good paper has
frequently brought insignificant
villages to the attention of the en-
tire country.
Strangers always judge Of the
enterprise and business prospects
OF village by the character of its
papers. If its advertisements con-
sist chilly of patent medicine and
other foreign advertisements, and
mortgage and chancery sales, it is
o notice of Glands off," but If its
columns are well filed with inter-
esting reading, local items, and live
home advertisements, the verdict is
at once, this must be a live place,
just the home for an enterprising
and educated man.
One Of the chief means to secure
Immigration to new places is the
sending of the village paper to ac-
quaintances and friends in the
East. II the most enterprising cit
izens Of our Western villages were
to subscribe for several hundred
copies to be sent to former friends,
they would secure a steady flow Of
most valuable immigration. ~
IN is frue tho rooaooq ra boVo