The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-08-14

the FARMER n MECHANIC as was needed
The present publishers on taking charge
entirely withdrew the paper from all other
offices, or papers,, and long since remedied
all the irregularities complained of. The
contract with the Department of Agricul-
ture still exists, but as the new Board.
(since the withdrawal of Gov. Vance and
Capt. S. B. Alexander) seemed disposed to
evade recognition of the paper, and ignore
the free use of the spape allotted it, we
were quite willing to take down the title
which SO long had misled the public. We
have heard it said the new Board thought
it would please the State press by withdraw
ing from ANY one paper" just as certain of
the teachers feared to displease the State
press by making this paper the Reporter for
their Association" Absurd timidity,
No, true journalist is jealous of a brothers
prosperity, and we have never in our life
known as RDI and FREQUENT repeated
ly repeated friendly notice, voluntarily be.
slowed by the large majority of the State
press, as have been given this paper. In
deed we know of but two papers that ever
indicated any u~nfriendliness. Few papers
wish to fill their columns with the matter
usually issued by the Department, and they
are quite willing to let it appear in some
paper, 50 that they may pick and Gull to
SulC CuolT OWL SCCllOu. let because
we suppose, they imagine our brethren
would take offence, the Board prefers to
expend large sums for printing ten thous-
and copies of a monthly sheet, Ito be sent
by the Board to the county agents. some of
whom to our knowledge have quantities of
| last years documents still on hand rather
than accept the free use Of their allotted
space in their nominal Reporter. or even EN-,
brace a proposition (Which we now see
would have ruined us) made by us at the
April and July meetings.
We proposed to give the Department a
full page in the paper for its publications,
whatsoever they might be, and to furnish
any number Of copies above 800 at one cent
a copy, we furnishing wrappers, etc. Now,
the cost of the clean, imprinted paper, lex
elusive of type setting, ink, press work.
wrappers, wear and tear, ETC. is fully one
cent per sheet SO that we should have real
ly lost money on every copy. But we were
willing to give our personal services to the
advancement of the objects of the Depart
ment especially the encouragement of I'm
migration) and for our compens we
hoped persons seeing these extra copies
would like the paper, and next year sub
scribe, thus increasing its usefulness.
Another proposition was to furnish one
page, allow Col. Polk to edit it, and then
print as many extras as desired; the De
partment merely furnishing its own paper
and postage, Col. Polk himself said this
was cheaper than any possible plan for reach
ing the people, because the paper, type-set-
ting, 40 cents for each two inches,) wrap
pers, etc, must L be paid for otherwise.
But that's the way the money goes
and "who cares for expenses ~ How
ever, we are glad t. find ourselves at
length u~ntrammelled, and free from even a
nominal shadow of obligation.
The present owners, not only have never
received a cent from the Department, but
are every week at the dead loss Of the one
hundred agent subscribers for whom oul
predecessor received half price. We lose
ten months subscription on each of them,
but they are all, we think, men of intelli-
gence and character, and will no doubt con
tinue as regular subscribers when their pres.
ent term expires.
We beg pardon for SO lengthy an exposi-
ton, (Which our friends urged us to make
many months ago); but we trust there viii
henceforth be no more m~lsapprehen
sion.
AS for the test of public opinion, we have
received fully one hundred new subscribers
within the past thirty days-du:ing the
very dullest season of the year.