Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-06-07
Mississippi Press Association.
FIR3r DAYEs PROCEEplNas.

OEueTI n IL M, Dy the PRESIDENT, w. j.
L. Holland, who delivered the follow.
ing address:
PRESIDENT HOLLANDS ADDRESS.
Gentlemen Of the Mississippi Press AssO.
citation:
In calling your distinguished body TO
order there is every reason why | should
greet you with words OF cOngratulatlOn.
Pride and pleasure alike touch my heart
when l call 70 mind that this Is your 18Th
annual session, and never before have y0u
met under more ausplcl0us circumstances.
Through thirteen y~eaTs-yeaTs mostly
made up Of toll, OF adversely and vexatlon,
sore indeed-you have steadfastly main
tanned your organization In perfect
strength, harmony and union, and at no
period In your history have you been
stronger. more In accord. or more closely
and happily bound together by the ties OF
friendship aud fellowship, Than you are to.
day. l reIOi Q to see In this fraternal re.
union so many o fthe older members Of the
Association present, and | well know
how gladly aud warmly they unite
with me 10 extending o hearty welcome to
those Ot you VINO are mere for the first time,
In an assemblage like this Of the breth.
rem OF the quill, who represent In an eX.
allied sense the worth, virtue and intelli.
genoe which belong In such bOuntiful
measure to the Press Of Mississippi. the
journalistic pr iession inds especial and
extraordi AIRY encouragement, These
marked evidences Of your zeal and inter-
est Ia the annual gatherings OF the Asso-
citation deserve the successful aud laud.
able career this, your thirteenth anniver-
sary 80 happily lOretells.
Conscious OF my lack OF power 10 defne
adequately what 10 practically most
needed TO improve aud advance "the
Art Prese;yative," to remedy its
shortcomings, cure its errors and elevat e
II to that high and broad arena In which II
would render tue most etfectual service In
It's allotted sphere, | nevertheless, feel too
much concerned In its veal to permit this
opportunity 10 pass without inviting your
attention, In my humble way, to some Of
the burdens which weigh upon It at this
time, and which you nave the power, for
the most part, to remove.
You, gentlemen OF the Press, | fear,
consider too little what beneicenl results
your united and intelligent action could
secure in behalf Of your interests. You
will pardon me, | trust, when | say,
perhaps, you bestOW too little
time In con sideriDg and discussing the
business saalrs Of your profession In your
! NOhNNuhluuba III buN bAANA uGbWApuo tAGAG
10 quite q limited portion OF your thoughts
devoted - the contemplation OF the ways
and means by which the material vel fare
Of the Press may be soonest and best pro.
noted. These important matters are too
frequently lost sight Of, or VIII lily neglect
ed IN the enjoyment Of hospitalltIes and
pleasures usually so generously aud pro.
iusely offered you. In speaking thus
plainly Of a matter which so nearly con.
cerns Us all, / am actuated more by a
sense OF dut than any desire 1 could feel
to abridge, 10 the slightest respect, 1.-THE
feast OF reason and dow OF s0ul," which
ever characterizes the holiday season OF
your Conventions. Were | guiltless above
you l could not afford to cast the first
stone.
The past few years have been fraught
with sore disaster TO publishers Of inland
weekly journals, which comprise, with ar
exception or two, the Press Of the State
stringent times have borne heavily upOI
them. Patronage has largely decreased
, while prices therefor have corresponding
ly lessened. The per oentage OF non. pay
ing subscribers b 8 advanced, and In Ike
proportion subscription lists have falleT
Of. These disasters have their causes
aud upon you It devOlves to discover tn
remedy. For some yearb II has been ap
parent that the metropolitan WeeklieB, IL
point Of reading matter and low prices, az
well, have become formidable rivals o
country Weeklies. Publishers Of. the lat
ter must necessarily exert themselves Il
counteract the advantages claimed By
their more fortunate and wealthy com
petitOrs, by making their Jurnals more
acceptable aud Indispensable TO those from
whom they have . right to expect patron
age. The discovery OF o plan BY which
Wklfak. If aha aaa1aNew aankItln nnVls
secure and hold q respectable liSt OF casl
paying subscribers would be to them
blessing indeed. The nearest they cal
hope TO attain this desirable result 10 Il
publish journals which will be, IN point o
interest and excellence, essential TO th(
demands OF their readers.
One Of the most hurtful burdens up0I
the Press Is that brought By advertising
agents. Between the advertiser who pay
the bills aud the publisher who does tn
work this class stands, and with artfu
courtesy, generally succeeds In manipu
lating the lions share OF the proceeds
That the advertising agents practice sue
great injustice to all concerned, saw
hemselVes,Is a matter ola very expensive
character TO the Press. When II is know
what princelv fortunes they have mad
and are now making, on publishers cap
, tai and labor, 1t will be understood hOV
m~ercenary they are. II publisher
would unite In their efforts {
protect themselves against these agent
by refusing to make contracts with then
and only make them with advertiser
direct, their revenues would be largely IL
( creased. It's my opinion no greater benC
dt could happen TO the Interest OF the Pres
at large than the suspension OF every al
verlising agency In the country.
The number Of irresponsible adVeI
Users, with their attractive schemes {
fraud and trickery, | regret to say,
yearly increasing, while the Innocent col
idence OF publishers In trusting thel
SCENE never to grow less. Publishers con
: NIT q wrong to advertisers who pay the
accounts and sustain q serious loss then
: selves, In accepting contracts from this /
= responsible class, who promise so largel
y and pay nothing at all. some remed
. should be applied to caeck this grown
| imposition.
There is another item deserving our a
tentiOn. The advertisements contained |
patent sides, for which publishers receiy
no compensation whatever, involves ser
I Gus loss to publishers. The reason Is oil
Q vious, the remedy easy and quits inexpsl
sive.
- The three or four columns Of az
i vertisements usually contained IN pi
= tent sides only benefit the pateI
/ side contractor, while the publish
who ought 10 receive tue benefit, gets non
at all. II publishers woh!d Use pateI
/, sides without these Advertisements, tn
. cost would he but little more, and thI
o would be Offset by the additional amour
-. a. sH.Va al - 49,