Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-17
PUBLISHING THE LAWS IN TIL
NEWSPAPERS

Some eleven or twelve years ago the State
passed law providing for the publication of
laws in the newspapers. Regularly every
winter for eleven or twelve years members
OF the Legislature have appeared who seem
to think that if the newspapers can be pre-
vented from receiving small sum for pub
fishing the laws, the greatest imaginable
stroke of economy will be made. Half a
million dollars will be voted to State insti-
tutions without muFmur, while the pit
lance of ten, twelve or fifteen thousand dol
lars for publishing all the general laws in
the newspapers within thirty days after the
adjournment of the Legislature, will call
forth hours almost days-of debate. In
view of biennial sessions the expenditure
cannot possibly exceed 1880 per annum,
and perhaps not over Sc, 900, which accord
ingly calls for corresponding extra effort
at ECONOMY
In this connection we trust we may be
pardoned for word personal. Our dis
tinguished friend and fellow citizen, Bill
King, who, since his return from abroad, has
engaged in publishing newspaper, has seen
tit in false and malicious manner to mis-
represent this matter for the double purpose,
as he imagines, of taking revenge upon the
publisher of the GLOBE and upon the weekly
newspapers throughout the State who do not
look up to him and his newspaper as an ex-
emplar of honor, decency, morals, politics or
economy. A few days ago he INDUCED in
the following statement:
AS the business is now managed, some if
teen thousand dollars is annually paid out for
this purpose. But nearly all the country week.
lies are supplied with supplements printed by
a publisher of patent insides in St. Paul, who
! makes five or six Thousand dollars a year out of
the business
And again in yesterday mornings issue
he returns to the onslaught.
Some five or six years ago the publisher of
the GLOBE established in st. Paul a ready
print, or so-called "patent inside" house.
1t is purely private business enterprise, and
patronized by the country publisher, not on
grounds of politics or friendship, but be-
cause it saves each of them from five to ff-
teen hundred dollars per annum, according
are probably from fifty to seventy-fve more
papers IN Minnesota to-day than there would
be but for this system, and no one agency is
doing so much to develop the State as the
ready print publishing houses. AS the pro-
prietor of this business has had the temerity
to establish morning newspaper, which is
rapidly supplanting Bill Kings Janus faced
affair, the incidental jealousy crops out as
above indicated.
Having said this much by way of cxpla-
nation, we desire to present few facts. But
two years of the eleven which the laws have
been published has the cost reached $15,-
900. One year they were under 81 900, and
the average has been $4,000. The pay is
fixed upon the only fair standard. and that is
according to the amount of work to be per-
formed. There can be no equity for either
party if fixed and arbitrary amount is
stated. If the laws are long, and the publ
cation is worth hundred dollars there is no
reason why the State should pay out seventy
five dollars, and if they are short and the
publication is worth but forty dollars there is
no equity in calling upon the State to pay
fifty, sixty or seventy dollars. The law is
accordingly fair to both parties in that it
provides for paying for what work is per-
formed, no more and no less. The papers
got supplements of publisher of patent
lnsldes" shouts the critic. Why? Simply
because the State pays SO low price for the
work that no paper can afford to do it for
the compensation. That is the criterion
which should enable the Legislature to de-
termine what is right and just in the matter.
The State deals with each paper as single
individual and the only proper question is
can these individuals afford to perform this
work for less sum. At the outset large
number tried to do@he work themselves and
found to their sorrow that the State did not
pay cost. The very meagreness of the COM
pensation has forced the newspapers to COM
bine and secure these supplements, and now
it is proposed, after the State has con,pezzed
this united action by paying less sum than
the cost of the labor alone Qeaving out all
other expenses), to come in and take advant-
age of her own wrong doing by further re-
ducing the stipend. Furthermore the law
compels their issue in thirty days, which is
physical impossibility for any weekly pa
per in the State.
So far from the stpatent inside'' publisher
realizing the enormous profit named, the
gross charge for furnishing over 100000
copies of the supplements, averages far less
than one-half of the figures named as profit,
and the actual profit ranges, of course, far
below the gross figures. There is
no law compelling the newspapers
to patronize one establishment. Mr.. Kings
own concern publishes the laws in supple
ment form for newspapers, and as many