The Portland daily press., 1879-01-25
The Editors Convention.
AN AFTERNOON SPENT In LITER.
AIRY EXERCISES.
The ASS .ciaiiOn Going 10 Niagara Next
Summtr

AUGUSTA, Jan. 24-Tae Maine Press AS
ISOLATION continued their session this forenoon
transacting business of interest to the craft. A
large audience gathered in the Senate Chamber
in the afternoon to listea to the literary ex-
ercises. The Grafton was delivered by Howard
Owen, Esq, of the Kennebec Journal on 1.-THE
Man who Makes Newspaper 1t was full
of good things some Of which are given In the
following abstract.
If the newspaper business should not be
established on a cash basis, none belongs
there. Your machinery and material, your
paper and ink, the wages of your skilled
workmen, the rent of your ofice,-in short
everything entering into the production of
your paper and job work, requires cash. And
cash, or its equivalent, should be demanded
in payment.
Besides poetry, cabbage, and other delica-
cies, the newspaper man is asked to take his
pay in medicine! Not long since, we re-
ceived package containing what purported
to be French powders, put up in the most
scientific manner. A note from the whole
sale dealer accompanied them. asking US to
give them fair trial for dyspepsia, land let
your readers know the result through the
govt was the matter with us at that time, we
gave the powders to dead beat who came
in daily to borrow our exchanges, and took
anti-fat instead.
10 comply with the requests of these fell
lows, who desire to get their advertising free,
the editor would make of himself sort of
testing machine for patent medicines, new
fashioned rat-traps, clothes-reels, poor mans
plasters. and all the various productions of
genius which are to be brought to public at
tention.
Some people are seized with the idea that
newspaper man is sort of threshing-
machine, ready and willing to fail everybody
that happens to cross their track, and whom
they lack the courage to tackle themselves.
One has neighbor with whom he has had
what Judge Weston used to call ga little un-
pleasant controversy" and a high board
fence between the two, attests to that fact.
Here MIR. Editor, please insert this item, and
oblige subscriber: "The rantankerous old
curmudgeon, whose pestilential influence
poisons the air of Broad street. has of late
been engaged in questionable transactions for
the purpose of adding to his ill-gotten gains.
Murder is in the heart of this pestiferous
old cuss, but the miserable blatherskite lacks
the courage to execute it." Put that in as
editorial and dent let any one know who
wrote it.
Another man who has at heart the moral
welfare of the place, thinks it about time the
press spoke out in thunder tones against the
terrible traffic in strong drink. He knew the
editors time was well taken up, and to save
trouble he had prepared local which he
would like to have inserted: "The chief of
police OF this place is in league with the devil
and all the fiery imps of hell. He has been
bought up, soul and body, by the rumsellers
and rum-guzzlers; they have bribed him with
money, and threaten to turn him from office
If he makes SEIZURE"
Then there is the enraged individual who
has learned profanity from the absence of
sidewalk and street lamp on his street. He
implores us to "just lash the city govern
ment" until these modern conveniences are
provided. An esteemed patron, who believes
the press to be mighty engine for good,
rushes into your office, frothing at the mouth
like an enraged bull. During the silent
watches of the night, while the master of the
house was sleeping, the enemy sowed tares -
the infamous COWS broke into his enclosure,
and trampled upon his beautiful lawn. The
only thing that will prevent the man from
going stark mad, is the publication in next
mornings paper of the entire ordinance pro-
hibitihg cows from running at large. We
knew an editor who had this matter on the
brain; cow never crossed his path but he
instinctively wanted to pound her. He be-
came famous as "the cow editor" and slip
from his paper might not improperly be
termed cooo-slip. Another mans slumbers
are disturbed by the loud footing of the mid
night locomotive. He doesn't rush to the
druggists for sleeping powder, but he wants
us ito blow up the railroad company" A
public lecturer fails in his efforts to give
6isY11pacod
like to know what newspaper is for, if that
fellow can't be bowed up" Another has
been swindled by purchasing an article ad-
yertsed in the newspapers, and he wants all
the newspapers blo,oed to Belehack. The
newspaper man is beset with so many i'm
portunltles and threats of this kind, that it is
doubtful whether he should be addressed as
''Mr. Editor or "Mr. Blowhard."
In this particular phase of warfare. the
local editor is generally on picket duty. and
against his devoted breast beat the waves and
the pillows of tickle public sentiment. The
editor-i n-chief, sitting in his WE'LL filled
library of select volumes, and surrounded by
his helps to thought in the shape of ex-
changes from all parts of the world, pair of
sharp scissors and paste pot,-may in COM
paratlVe quiet and seclusion prepare his able
leaders. He is as necessary to the newspa-
per structure as is the foundation to the
permanency of the building. His relation to
the community is as important as any of the
professions. While the preacher NAV ad-
vance whatever ideas he pleases, or steadily
ignore ideas and please everybody; while the
lawyer has rights in the presentation of
case fully guaranteed by the rules of the bar;
while the physician may kill or cure, and if
he is the family physician, it is all right, and
no criticism is allowed; the work of the ed.
itor, much of it hastily done, is daily laid
bare to inspection; every reader takes his
place, unchallenged, in the jury box, to try