Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-02-23

Tho hill introduced by Assemblyman
M,vbsll into the California Legislature
n do away with the general impersonal.
itv Of journalism by making the writers
of editorial articles in newspapers. mag
.zip.s and other publications afiI their
.;cn.tures to the same, is merely . repe-
,i,ion Of q similar absurdity attempted
in the Legislature Of i've years ago.
The proposition Is more fully explained
in the following extract from the bill in
question
SECTION I. The proprietor or proprie-
tors Of every newspaper. magazine or other
publication shall cause the name OF the
writer Of every editorial article to be pub
lished at the end thereof. For the purpose
of this Act, an editorial article shall mean
any article In which assertions or insinua-
tons are made a. TO tho conduct or char
scter Of any person or which draws .
deduction from alleged facts, or expresses
an opinion. or purports to give the senti'
ments OF either the writer or the proprie-
tor OF the publication in which said arti-
Gle appears. In regard to any subject or
matter whatever. The writer Of an edito-
rial article shall DO taken to mean the per-
sou who constructs or puts together the
major portion Of the words and sentences
Of such articles. This Act shall not apply
70 the publication Of bona fide telegraph
news, nor to . report OF any public pro-
cssding. that Is unaceompanied by COM
ments on the part Of the reporter. nor to
any article that does not come within tho
defnition Of an editorial article as con-
tanned herein.
In some respects the idea might provo
beneficial. but the principal effect would
be to dstract from the merits and honest
power Of true journalism, and bring 1t
into ridiculs and d~isrepute. Hundreds
OF ~msritorious editorial writer's have no
desire to have their names paraded
ostsutatiously all over = newspaper,
hi,chsd to numerous editorial aragraphs
and pungsnt squibs. and even II their
authorship was thus elected and demon
strated 1t could be Of no practical use.
The writer ia not To DO held personally
responsible at iaw fer anything objee-
tionabls or libelous in his published
articles. but the paper itself or its pro-
pristers can DO. Any person Who IL
aggrisved at any editorial article appear.
ing in q newspaper can always and
easily End who 10 responsible by
applying at the oface Of the paper.
Many u talented and versatile editorial
writer, for instance, is employed on
journals directly opposed to his political
proclivities, and thus Democrats are
found ably advocating Republican prin-
siplss in print. yet not at the polls.
Many q writer. under dictation writes
VIVA, he does not believe. but merely puts
into proper language the political prin-
ciplss and expressed desires OF others.
and having to do this over his " sig
nature would have the effect to drive
him out OF employ.
II matters precious little to the gen
eral public sho the writer Of any news
paper article is. SO long as it IL correct,
just and instructive. Every well rsgu.
lated, influential newspaper has its
political. religious and Social course
marked out. sud it 10 not necessary to
know who its writer's are. this week or
the next. 90 long a. that course is con-
sistently followed out. II Is true. a.
before remarked. that in some respects
the rule might work bens6cially. As for
instance in properly defining the
authorship OF sundry idiotic articles
appearing in a newspaper and thus doing
justice to other writer's Of really con-
scientious merit employed on the same
paper. Good editorial writer's always
manifest themselves in their works, and
scrubs are soon known by their ear
marks. The preponderance Of practical
utility. however. is against the bill and
II will not be passed.