The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-06-18
AN EDITORS EXPERIENCE.

AN EDl1Oh'S EAPEhlENCEs
tell you now, ef it wasn't for the in
dependent press the country'd go to
the dogs n less n no time. Yes, sir, I'm
for independent press all the time !;
but it costs powerful sight of money
to keep it up. Cause why, you dassent
borrow or lend.
There's not menny as knows more
about the business of runnin' paper
than Writ Suttredge. Allus had a
hankerin' that way. Read the papers
from the time I could spell out words
eff I've pored over Gibbons "Rise and
Fall' an "Josephus" onct, I've gone
clean through them dozen times.
Yes, reckon know all about inder-
pendent an somethin' about cor
poration papers, too +! see you don't
quite take my meaning. An to tell
you the truth, it's only lately discover.
ed what corporation paper is. [ run
corporation paper down to Goosetown
without KNOWN it. 1t has grown up
on me slow like, but it's hard baked
fact now. An another thing has grown
on me. An that is, after you've begun
on corporation paper you've got to
keep it up, for eli you try to make a
independent paper of it the chances
are it won't stand the wrench. It's
like giving q man an alfred twist in
wrestlin' match eff he don't know
how to free himself of toe lock, or
catch his man on the hip, he's sure TO
see stars. / speak from experience,
because I was fool enough to think l
could switch off the track 1 was runnin'
on, an make a independent paper of
the Streamer Of Liberty. Eff you ever
saw a bunch OF freight cars shunted off
on siding leetle mite too strong, an
a bringin' up in heap after buttin'
down the snubbin' posts, p'raps you
can form some idea how 1 felt when L
got through with the experiment.
Seem as You don't know much about
the press, Of which L am proud to say l
am still honorable member in good
standin', I'll explain how fell inter the
business. If you take notice it's q
business people generally fall inter. At
the same time it's more like lottery
than anythin' I can think of. 1t takes
mighty good management an pluck,
an plenty of money power of money
to keep man ahoat in it, unless he's a
fool for luck (Which L never was), or
genius (Which is wus, eff anything y or
his credit is uncommon. Mostly l find
that runnin' a country newspaper is a
distractin' business man may hang
on by the eyebrows, ready to suspend
every week for months an years, an
at the end of that time not have enough
money i'll his clothes to treat himself to
good square meal consequently
country edditurs mostly get treated ef
you notice.
What L was goin' to say, or the heft
of it mostly, was about my corporation
paper.
When the railroad from Huckleberry
Flat up to Goosetown was first talked off
the railway folks sort O. seemed to halt
tween two opinions. You see, they
hadn't made up their minds whether
to go around by Crab Tree Hollow or
shin round by Smoky Run. The
Smoky Run people got up big meet
in and had big time speakin' and
resolutin'. I reckon there was nigh on
two hundred people or more, an every
man voted to take sheer in the new
road.
The Crab Tree Hollow people weren't
to be got over in that style. They held
a rousin' meetin', voted to take twice as
many sheers as Smoky Rum an pledged
the town corporation to take as many
more. You'd think that ought to have
settled it. But it didn't. You just try
to get one town to acknowledge its
neighbor has the purtiest women, the
best hosses or lighters, an you'll see
no end O. nonsense
The proceedins of the Crab Tree
people more than woke the Smoky Run
people up. They held another meetin',
voted to take as many sheers as the
Grab Tree Hollow folks, an offered the
railway the town for a depot. You'd
think Grab Tree Hollow couldn't beat
that An it was liberal of the Smoky
Run people. Ef it hadn't been for the
fact that the railroad company didn't
jest know their own mind two minutes
to onct, Smoky Run'd made the rifle.
An while they were deliberatin' of it
among themselves, the Grab Tree Hol-
low people sent over subcommittee
to Scrub Grass, town site where you
could scasely keep in range OF the
houses, an coaxed them to jine forces.
Then they held sort O. secret council,
an voted both towns to the railway
company, an pledged themselves to tax
themselves SO much a head down to
their grandchildren. Same time they
resoluted thanks to themselves for the
benefits they were a conferrin' on pos
terity.
When it leaked out through some of
the railroad men, Goosetown came
right up level with the Smoky Run peo-
pie an went five generations better.
That fetched the railroad. Smoky Run
couldn't go no further, an the railroad
men said as how they were tired of the