The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1882-01-12

Extract from an Address DeIiv-
cred before fhe Michigan
Press Association by .Bas.
w. EEinc.

One more suggestion drops ID
here. I think the time has come
when the country press can afford TO
take less wooi and more money on
subscription. Wood, especially in
tie tree, Is not q legal tender for oil
dues and deots, and its purchasing
power, especially before it is cut, does
not recommend it as safe or con
venient circulating medium. Hence,
l say, more cash and less wood-or
promise Of wood-on subscription.
Show me a country editor who has
grown old in the business, and if he
had all that belonged to him he
ought TO be a rich man. II all the
wood yet due him on subscriptions
were cut and piled up to-day, steps
would be taken to morrow to form
an association for the projection of
public lands. A whole p.imeyal
forest has been due him on subscrip-
tions these many years, and if be
could have it now, with compound
interest, payable in second growth
timber, he would be rich enough to
90 to Congress
Let the rule be cash, payable inva
riably in advance, and put the pub
hsher under bonds to give his wife o
$40 bin every time he violated that
rule. This might use up the ptb-
Usher, but his wife would soon be
able to start a bank and support him
in good style, which is far better
than running newspaper on tick.
Ii the publisher will boldly maintain
that his paper is worth "cash in ad-
vance" he asks for it and & little
readers, as q rule, will not
be long in coming to the same con-
elusion. And put pin here. If the
publisher, Intentionally or other
wise. permits The idea to prevail that
it is a privilege to him to send his
paper to bis subscribers, whether
paid for or not, his readers will ap-
preciate a good deal more other pa
pers which they have to pay for in
advance. | believe this rule has as
few exceptions as any ever saw
tried.
In no high and honorable calling
has here been greater progress made
ihan in that which we here represent.
The country press has kept pace
with the neetest, and found abun-
dant time to spur up the slowest L
is built up itself in building up 9th
ers Ii has made towns, cities, cor
porations, and about everything else
except penitentiaries and poor hous
es. "a live paper makes live
town" This quotation may not
appear in the "Revised," but it ought
to. as it is gospel truth anyhow Time
was when the "eountry editor was
a synonym for patched knces and
leakv boots-ln short, a walking
poorhouse He was looked upon as
IA great, hungry, two legged worm,
set to est borrowed yictuals and
wear ont second hand clothing. That
was before the country editor had
been in. their midst a great while.
But the country editor staid by them
until he brought them up out Of
darkness and Trey began to see
The FIRST thing that they saw was "a
bic pile OF scales that had just drop
ped from their eyes. Then they saw
more. They saw that the little coun
try paper, that had been struggling
along for so many years on hall
rations, was doing more to build up
their town than all other influences
combined. II spoke for the school,
the church, the social circle, the
merchant, the mechanic, the day
laborcr. Ii recommended the estab.
lishment og new industries, factories,
and so forth, and suggested a jhous
and and one improvements that had
never been thought of Its siigges
tions were needed, the town took on
a "boom," property doubled in val
ne, and the little country paper invi.
ted in capital to take some of it
Then the people saw that "great
hungry, two legged worm" bad
hatehed out into a pretty good citi
zen and they didn't want him TO 60
He dIdn'tgo No, he is there to day
and he doesn't wear patched breechei
or leaky boots He is no longer th,
walking poorhouse that he was HI
wears stockings and eats butter, aut
is going to as long as he lives. Ant
when he dies, il everybody is g0inl
straight to heaven before the under
talxcr can get him to the cemetery
he is. Before he was born, before
the newspaper was known, God usel
to rain down mama from heaven t,
keep His creatures from starving
| But finally His infinite wisdom sa1
a better plan and put it into th
heart and mind of man to invent lh
printing press 1t was done, an
it wasn't long before the peopl
knew how to raise their own manns
The printing press is the father @
civilization II Is the father of pro
gress and prosperity. 1t is the fatho
Of good laws, good society and goo
, government. Itisthe father Of ever
enlightened gation under the SUI
Brethren, look at your offspring
Humble Representatives though v
are, ours is one Of the highest 80
( noblest OF professions, live homo
it, it wall honor Us. -Our duty TO ou
selves and to theptbiic must be clea
Z Iy ~lelued Ia our own minds an
! laitlikltF performed. Then, so SUI
] ase is its own rewaid,H wi
the coFntry editor and his.