Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-03-30
ArENr.oUrsrDE

ANNS
State known as "patent-outsides,
by proving c%Onclusively by law and
by a decision Of the United States
Supreme Court, hat legal notices
appearing in such papers do not
come within the meaning and re-
Quirements of the law. A great
many papers in the South are thus
printed. The enterprising % editor
instead of editing and printing his
paper entirely at home, and making
it literally a home institution, buys
paper III Chicago, or some distant
city, already printed on one side.
He has no more idea what viii be
in his next issue, and no more con.
troll Of it before the bundle comes
by express, than if he lived
in China. Some fellow in
Chicago, with a big pair of
shears, edits half the paper for him
and sends it down already printed.
This cheap economy Of course de-
prives many faithful printers who
have learned their trade by years
of toll Of employment where they
might expect to find it. The last
number of the Pine Bluff Press
says:
Even If We we're disposed to admit that
patent newspapers we're better print.
ed, more readable and cheaper than our
paper. the question would not be affect
ed. We give credit to all for doing the
best they can, but when the law says so
and so, it must be strictly complied
with. Our argument has never been
answered, and there is not q patent
paper in the Union that can do it. Sew.
eral lawyers have sent to us for copies
Of it. A prominent lawyer Of Little
Rock says that Judge Caldwell, Of the
United States Court. said that be always
had doubts on the question, but that our
articles satisfied him that legal notices
in patents" or auxiliary sheets" we're
illegal. We only expect legal minds"
TO see the points We have made.
This view is beginning to be un-
derstood and 10 prevail. Several
Arkansas Weeklies have discarded
their patent-outsides within the last
few weeks and others are to follow.
The man who cannot own type
enough aud employ a sufficient
force Of printers at home should
keep out Of the business. The
patent system is one which strikes
at legitimate trained labor and Is an
imposition and a sham. It has
been adopted By many little papers
as a supposed necessity TO cut down
expenses, but this is a mistake, for
the people find out the deception in
time and lose respect for the Chi.
cage machine-editing palmed off az
home work. The matter published
this way is necessarily dry and ab-
sOlutely neutral upon politics and all
great questions, and adapted to no
particular locality, because it has TO
circulate in so many. We get dozens
Of papers by mail every week from
different towns and States contain
ing exactly the same matter on the
outside except in the name Of the
paper, and perhaps the date at the
top. Of course, all such papers
have a very small circulation, for il
they were doing a good business to
to Justify it the editor would have
pride enough to edit and print his
paper at home, without being de.
pendent upon the ready-made pa
per dealers of some distant city
Memphis merchants advertise very
largely in the country press for two
hundred and fifty miles around
We propose, for their Information
to publish a list of the papers with
in that territory, really printed al
well as issued, at the places pur.
ported in their headings and dates.
This would be about as interesting
and valuable information as We
could give our business men who
are in the habit of advertising lib
orally.