The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-01-30
WHO ARE THE DEAD HEADS f.!

If editors were rot among the most
patient and best naturcd people tina,
inhabit the earth, they would long
ago have exposed the charge of dead
headism so flippantly and constantly
made against the press. No end Of
carping persons think it fine thing
to sheer at the editors and reF orters
who, without paying, 60 to theatres,
concerts, operas, banquets, miscella.
ncous shows, and the best seats in
Conventions and Legislative assem-
bIies. forgetting entirely that jour
nalists' go to all of these places in
discharge Of their duties; that one
and all of them would rather remain
at home than 60 for labor where
their more fortunate fellows rcrair
for recreation. 1t is quite true that
Ethe places of journalists are too fire.
quently usurped By set of chronic,
brazen sponges, who think it praise
worthy to trust themselves in seats
reserved for the members of the
press, in order to enjoy themselves
free Of cost. This class it is that,
by their unseemly behavior. bring
disgrace upon the journalistic pro-
fession. Men so lost to all feelings
OF dellcacy as to pass themselves of
for what they are not, for the sake
OF saving few dollars, cannot be OK.
pected to demean themselves like
gentlemen. If these same persons
were to try to palm themselves off as
doctors or lawyers, they would be
promptly exposed and punished
The good-natured editors suffer these
real dead heads TO usurp their own
places and disgrace them besides.
Nor is the great paying and cour-
teous public free from the charge OF
dead headism where newspapers are
concerned. Every other man that
subscribes for newspaper is posses
ed with the idea that he becomes
part owner Of the journal that is as
necessary to him as his daily bread,
and which he obtains at a ludicrous.
ly low price. He insists that the
editor, whose paper he buys, must
support his ideas on all public ques-
lions; is in duty bound to fight his
individual battles; must give free
notices of all enterprises in which he
is interested. That the editors have
their capital invested in their news
papers; that they are compelled to
work hard to secure living from
them, never occurs to the grand ar
my of non journalistic dead heads,
who regard journals and journalists
as public institutions that are not
remunerated by the State, it is true,
yet are public property, because
they sell their literary wares at
low prices, obtain free tickets to 20
to light places, which to them are
glaring workshops, and are obliging
and good natured. 500
The community of dead heads, not
salts fed with their efforts to force
the editors of the papers they read
to serve them in all ways at no ex-
pense to themselves, unite in cho-
rus of protests against the high
price Of newspapers. These grum-
blers cheerfully pay ten cents for a
cigar, or fifteen cents for draught
of whiskey; but profess to regard
five cents for newspaper as an out.
rage on human rights. One cent is
enough for newspaper, they say.
In their estimation, then, one cigar
is equal in value to ten newspapers.
They may never look at the question
in this light, but they should do so
and also calmly think over the stale
and unjust cry ofjournalistic dead