The Hartford herald., 1880-10-13
COUNTY NEwSPAPERS.
Their Valuable Services Rendered
During Campaigns.
What the POOr Printer has tO Cont end
Wtth-The Ung rat efuiness OF the
Average Poltticfan-faets
Well stated.

j. Langsdale before the Indiana E,di-
torial Association, and endorsed BY that
body, which ordered it printed for gem
eral distribution:
From the statement of the subject
assigned me l hardly know whether
am expected to speak of the country
newspaper as 1t is in the campaign or
as We think it ought to be-whether Of
an action or ideal condition. Ipresume
that We all have, through actual expe-
rience, IA practical knowledge of what
the first is; whether any of us will ever
be so fortunate as to become acquainted
with the last in the same way is as yet
an uncertainty. The country newspa-
per does several things i'm campaign.
IL calls the conventions. Ii gives the
proceedings to the people. It nails the
ticket to the masthead aud fights for il
week in and week out until election
day. Ii publishes laudatOry articles of
the candidates and defends them when
attacked. It advertises grand rallies,
1t extols the speeches as the best ever
delivered. 1t exhorts the wavering,
urges on the workers, claims victory in
advance, and reduces the receipts in
the business department by the vigOr of
the assaults on the opposition. Others
may waver, grumble and criticise, but
the country paper, never. Ii nevergives
up the ship. Ii "A job Office IL attached
it renders still further service. Its press
es are kept running during the greater
part of the campaign to placard dead
walls with hand-bills telling when and
where the next assault is to be made
upon the enemy. Then the tickets are
To be printed and distributed. For two
or three days before the election the
Office Is taken possession of for this
purpose, and other business on its part
almost wholly abandoned. How is all
this devotion to the party, costing so
much in time and money and labor, re-
paid? The answer tO this question de
pends ON the intelligence and general
business knowledge prevailing in the
community where the paper is printed.
In some places the recompense is all
that could be desired; i'm others the
labOrer is not thought worthy of his
hire. A part of the job printing may
be paid for, but not the advertising
space occupied in the paper. The
large city papers cannot afford to do
such work gratuitOusly, but their richer
country cousins dispense such fi.vors
not only literally, but with prodigality.
They like it, and can stand it. Some
times such service is appreciated; some
times it is not. The candidate who al
ways has an open purse for the dead
beat lOafer, filling him with whisky
and buying him again and again before
election day arrives, generally has a
sneer and curse for his county paper
the only medium that is making pub
IL. ss,t< In lf.. f.xr NJ
cOrding the praise that Is so much mer-
tied. He seems oblivious to the fact
that every subscriber secured to the pa
per Is beneficial to himself as well as it.
He would rather buy his way into Of
flee than win it by appeals to the intel
| ligence of his constituents. Fortunate
ly for the country paper, there is anoth-
er class of men who are sometimes can
didates, and who are willing to pay
their share of the expense incurred In
their. behalf. The practice growing
more prevalent each year Of buying
and selling votes is one Of the greatest
dangers now menacing our country /,
and, unless measures are soon put in
operation to suppress it, Ii will assume
proportions presently which will bid
defiance to interference from any quar-
| ter.
The county paper, rs we would have
it i'm the campaign, would be conducted
on strictly business principles. The
space occupied and the work done
should be paid for by the parties and
politicians precisely as is done by mer-
chants. OF course this has reference
only to the business department of the
paper. and not to the editorial, which
Is conducted, or ought to he, wholly in
dependent of the financial question.
This would put it on basis enabling il
to do efficient and satisfactory work.
! Eschewing cheap advertisements, its
space could be devoted to reading mat
ter instead, and sufficient editorial help
could be employed to have this matter
properly prepared. 1t is the fashion in
some quarters to say that many county
papers are of no value i'm campaign.
This is an error. Every party paper
published, without exception, is Of value
to its party if it does nothing more than
advertise its meetings. The man who
does not take his county paper is out
side of the circle of political influence.
He usually hears of a campaign meet
ing after il is held. He never makes a
vote. Indeed, he is fortunate if some
other than himself does not control his
own vote. He is apt to be hauled to
the polls on election day. A party that
Is 80 foolish as to nominate a man OF
this class for 0ffice-and it Is sometimes
done-always finds that it has AN incu-
bus OH its hands, instead of helper,
and he Is usually beaten in the end.
As rule, Republican county papers
are making every possible effort to fully
meet the just demands Of the public.
The consequence is that their improve
ment Is marked aud rapid. / believe
that this is the case In every communi-
ty that has the wisdom and the sense
to properly appreciate and reward such
effort. A good paper is Us sure to re-
spond 10 a liberal patronage as the grass