The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-01-11
HHo IRE The Dead HeadsS

III editors were not among the most
patient aud best natured people that in
habit the earth, they would long ago
have exposed the charge Of dead head
ism 50 fippantly and constantly made
against the press. No end of carr ing
persons think it fine thing to sneer az
the editors and reporters who, without
paying, go to theatres, concerts, operas,
miscellaneous shows. banquets, and the
best seats in conventions and legislative
assemblies, forgetting entirely that Jour
nalists 90 to all Of these places in dis
charge of their duties that one and all
of them would rather remain at home
than 90 for labor where their more for
tunate fellows repair for recreation 1t
is quite true that the places of journal
lists are too frequently usurped by set
of chronic brazen sponges who think it
praiseworthy to thrust themselves in
the seats reserved for the press, in order
to enjoy themselves free OF cost This
class it is that, by their unscemly be
havior, bring disgrace upon the journal
stic profession Men so lost to all feel
ings Of delicacy as to pass themselves off
for what they are not, for the sake of
saving a few dollars, cannot be expected
to demean themselves like gentlemen.
If these same persons were 10 try TO
palm themselves off as doctors or law.
yers, they would be promptly exposed
and punished The good natured edi-
tors suffer these real dead heads to usurp
their own and disgrace them besides
Nor is the great paying and courte-
Gus public free from the charge of dead
headism where newspapers are concern
ed Every other man that subscribes
for newspaper is possessed 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 ludicrously low price He insists that
the editor, whose paper he buys, must
support his ideas on all public questions
is III duty bound to fight his individual
battles must give free notices of all en-
terprses in which he is interested. That
the editors have their capital invested
in their newspapers; that they are cOm-
PEELED to work hard to secure living
from them, never occurs to the grand
army of on.journalistic dead heads,
who regard journals and journalists as
public institutions that are not remun-
Grated by the State, il is true, yet are
public property, because they sell their
literary wares at low prices, obtain tree
tickets to 90 to light places, which to
them are glaring workshops. aud are
obliging and good natured.
The community of dead heads, not
satisfied with their efforts to force the
editors of the papers they read to serve
them in all ways at no expense to them.
selves, unite in a chorus of protests
against tho high price Of newspapers
These grumbers cheerfuliy pay ten
cents for cigar, or fifteen cents for
draught of whisky; but profess to re-
gard five cents for newspaper as an
outrage 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 of
journalistic dead headism.