Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-12-06
PUBLIC LEDGER.
ruE PATENT OUTSIDE BUST-
NESG.

THE PATENT OUEaADE BDSh-
NESS.
AZ some surprise has been expressed
a. the rulo announced in this paper to
decline exchanging with papers known
~ .patent outsides, or insides, alter
The irst Of next January, it is proper
N state our reasons and position. In
ne first place, a patent outside Is a
nsner bought by its publishers already
b,If printed-that is printed on one
Side There are establishments IN
chicago. Cincinnati. Atlanta and vari-
ans cities which supply the country
nress with these half printed sheets.
The editor of the paper may have his
name and the date printed on the
outside, but he has no control over
The matter that appears on
the patent pages. II ms
rival in the sane town, or IN the next
county happens TO buy paper from the
ssma house. which is often the case,
The same matter appears in both, and
there Is no help for it. One house
NAV supply a hundred country papers,
and thew must all come out alike. The
houses engaged in this business buy
wh;te naper from the mills at whole
sale prices, and by reserying the right
n use certainspace for advertisements,
can sell the paper already printed on
ono side about as cheap as the country
editor or publisher could buy the
White naper at the mills. The patent
matter is necessarily neutral and dry.
n never has an opinion on current
ton;cs has no politics, and is as dry as a
dietiorsry. If the editor has any views
he has 10 work them in on the hall OF
The paper that be edits and prints at
home. A brilliant editor IN this
STATE who at one time thought 1t was
Economical and convenient to buy his
parer already half printed, once wrote
= witty and sarcastic article on the
aBesutitul Snow" and on the papers
that kept it going the rounds. A
mischieyous il not wicked editor at
Nashville saw this and calling at the
"patent' shop. requested them to
pnblish the Beautiful Snow. 1t was
done and the next week that country
editor mad the pleasure Of seeing that
ARE old poem in his own paper. III IS
said he never smiled or vent to Nash
vile Tor a year. Many xcellent gen
tlsmen engaged in the newspaper bus
mess use the patent outside OF
inside as the case may be, I'M
der an impression that 1t save:
type setting. Where two printers a q
boy would be required they can gel
along with one man and a boy. They
encourage a big monopoly and IN the
aggregate turn hundreds and thou
sands Of worthy and skilltul printers
adrih-On the side Of the papers
which they edit they invite
capital, immigration and labor, and
on the other side is . notice to labor
to shift for itself. This is very incon-
sistent although possibly not thought
of or intended in that light The pat
emf" side is liable to be duplicated IN
every county around and to issue one
is tautamount to sn admission that
the paper, although printed a long ways
of. does not 90 very far from home.
The principle at the bottom IS wrong.
The editor appeals 20 the people to
support home enterprise as manifested
in the county paper and yet he goes
Eve hundred miles to have half hi;
paper printed rather than employ {
home printer. He is not proud OF thu
kind Of enterprise and neyel
tells his readers that his Chicago
editor who seissored ~ the outsid,
has given them a fine dish Of news
this week. We call attention to thii
style Of journalism for the good of The
country press rather than its injury.
Many of our personal friends are in
this line, and whilst they have a right
to manage their own business affairs
as they think best, We cannot helI
thinking that patent outside journal.
ism is a serious drawback to the legit,
innate business Of the profession
And claiming the right for ourselves
that is accorded to others, We p7eiei
not to give a paper all printed
in our own Office in exohangl
for one of the ella described. Shan
journalism should be discouraged
country papers will be all the bette
and stronger when the patent outside
are described and every editor roall
edits his own paper and is responsible
for all that gees in it. Much NOR
might be said upon this subject; 70
the present this is enough to set pub
fishers and readers to thinking, and
it should bring forth good fruit in tn
near or distant future in the form {
more energetic and prosperous joul
nalism, none will feel greater satisia'
tion than the LEDGER.