Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-05-17
STATE PRESS CONVENTION.
From the Memphis Ledger.

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The State Press Convention meets at
Lebanon on the Sth inst, and from
present indications will be largely at
tended by editors and proprietors of
the daily and weekly papers Thus
far these meetings in our State have
not been so fully attended as the i'm
portant objects In view would have
suggested, nor can wepoint to tangible
results of consequence. But the MEM
bers Of the Association and others
have been led to.see that their union
and annual gatherings may be. made
mutually beneficial in business way
as we'll as socially rare pleasure.
The address of Gen. Jones delivered
at the last regular meeting, was pub
lished in whole or in part of nearly
every paper In the State, and as it con-
tanned so much valuable information,
sound sense and business wisdom, it
must have given the public, as well as
the members of the profession ofjour-
nalism, an increased degree of respect
for its dignity, power and capacity for
usefulness. BY concert ofactien and
determined effort the business of ed
iting and publishing newspapers can be
made more profitable and be utilized
to higher ends of material and moral
success. The abuse which creep into
the press from within and from without
can be corrected, and its true and high
mission executed without fear, favor or
affection. We trust that some steps
will be taken to draw broad line of
distinction between the quasi or orna-
mental members of the press and train
ed journalists, who consciously do
their duty, without the hope of subsidy
or gratuity, from any source. Such
distinctionsis often as essential as be-
tween a lawyer and shyster, for the
public often makea sad discrimination,
because thrown so little in personal
contact with journalists, and having
but limited opportunities for forming
Judgment. Another important result /
can be accomplished in due time If /
the press of the State will make the is
sue, and this we have urged with some |
zeal heretofore; and that is, to secure I
the repeal of the present unjust law,
only allowing one-half or one-third /
prices for legal notices. The limit I
should be removed absolutely, and the /
papers allowed to charge regular rates
for all pnblic work. There is no JUS
tice or reason in requiring printer to
work for nearly nothing. The wrong
has been perpetuated for nearly two
generations, simply because the papers
have submitted to it. If every paper
in the State will exact a pledge from
the next candidates for the Legislature
to vote for repeal of the present law,
leaving the common rates of business
to regulate the question hereafter, it
will be done. sThe papers make and
legislators, and often out of
very light material, and while they
should discard the cheap favOrs ten
1ered often like pittance of charity,
to secure the support of men, measures
and corporations, they should assert
and demand their right to full pay for
full work. Let that be the motto of
The Tennessee press at the next elec-
ton, and in less than in two years the
benefits of such policy will begin to
be realized. The Ledger hopes to
nave representative at Lebanon in
n full harmony with the main object
# the convention, but these sugges-
ions are thrown out in advance for
he consideration of our editorial
brethren.