The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-05-16
4 MT for Pilfering Publishers to Crack.

The following sensible, appropriate
and much-needed reproo3 70 lazy and
stupid editors, so called, which original
" appeared in the Perry County Demo-
crdt, is respectfully-we should say in
diguantly-cO commended to the prayerful
consideration of those newspaper har-
pies who prey upon other mems brains
10y coniiscating their editorials and palm
ing them off on nsuspecting readers as
original eftusions
'1f editors of country papers ever expect
to acquire journalistic regulations they must
act fairly with each other. Too many OF
them disregard the plainest principle oil
right in appropriating TO their own use,
without credit, the editorials they hn1 IN
their exchanges.
"If an article is worth transferring from
another paper TO your own columns It IS en-
titled to the proper credit. To refuse this is
neither honorable nor just. To approprI-
ate to ones own use the product Of another
brains is not less wrong than the appToprla-
ton Of the proceeds of the work OF another
hands to his own benefit and behOOf.
Literary theft is entirely too common
among country editors and they do them
selves great injury by its too frequent prac-
tee. Their readers, sooner OF later, discover
tHat much of that which purpOrts 10 be their
OWE is not original and they finally come 10
. the conclusion that all this class of editors
display as their own belongs to others. This
certainly must tend to disgust the reader
and to degrade the editor.
'The constant borrower of editorials
becomes 2 bore, for n this enlightened day
, there are many persons who Go not conhIe
all their reading to one newspaper and the
fraud at length becOTzes- notorious. When
an editor ha5 reached shis point Of laziness,
inCapacity or degradation it is time for him
10 step down fFOm the tripod and out Of the
editorial 'sanctam.' Heis then Of no furth-
ct use to the IHbliC or the profe e5siOn. He
furnishes nothi1g that has not already been
printed and, therefore, is a mere dCone in
the journalistic Eive.
There ought, Of right, 10 be new de
parture among the conductors of the country
press. Plagiarisn,ris now Fracticed % such
extent that even those who are disposed to
DO justice to their leliow pen are in
many instances prevented from SO doing by
their Inability to ascertain whether tue aTtl-
eie they have deemed worthy of place in
their columns actually belongs to the paper
IL which hey find it oT to another. SO5 an
frequently have we given credit when we
afterwards found credit was nCt due tc the
journal from which we copied-that it had
been stolen from anotSer. Tine and again
have we seen our own articles credited to
other papers and, indeed, to papers wE5ch
were rot on our exchange list, tEus showing
that there has been double steal.
AS a rule city pape-5 get all that is jue
them Snd they therefore held up as bes
. ing a most the only eXpOuentS OF pubic sen
. timeut. And yet voters look more 10 the
country press for an honest expression OF
popular opinion than to any other source.
They would rather trust IL than these lOuTn-
ais whose peculiar surroundings sometimes
warp the judgment and influence the epin
ions Of other editors. Isdeed, fac re-
lates to political sentiment, we believe II is
mainly from the country press the true
voice Of the masses can be asoertaiBsd. Be
lieving this, we regard the position Of the
country editor as one which should be held
only by honorable, fair-muded, indepe Ddent
men. of course, the servile, the msrcenary
and The corrupt are 10 be found in all pro-
fessoBs, trades and occupations, and there
can be no riddauce of them e. but there can
be, at least, degree of fair dealing reached
among the editors of the country pgess that
would considerably elevate the standard of
the present Jay. If all could the al
vautages that must necessarily result "a
each and every one by strictly observing the
rule of doing unto others a. that you would
. have others do uutO you in vOET editorla
capacity, 4 very decided improvement il
this particular would soon be manifest. By
giving to others their Iustdue, and in return
receiving credit for your own productions
your paper would soon acquire reputation
Tor literary and journalistic ability it cal
never attain as long as the present practic
is continued of apprOp2i2ting 10 your owl
the brain labor of y0ur brethren of IL
press.
This is subject wortby the atteniss
. State Editorial Association