Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1885-12-03
What is Due the Newspaper.


tracted from an editorial note in the
Westminster Advocate:
The Advocate says -
"The press is public educator, and
should be fostered rather than hamper
ed, especially in government like
ours, which is wise or indifferent as the
people are intelligent or ignorant. The
press should not be subsidized, but it
should be treated fairly; not ground
down by unwise laws.
The Maryland Editorial Association
will meet in annual session this winter,
and at that meeting the publication of
the laws, the legislative printing, and
other matters OF the kind should be in
CURED into. Beyond the reduction of
the employees OF the Legislature, most
all other reductions have been made at
the expense Of the publishers and print
ers of the state-reductions, too, that
ought not to have been made. 1t is
the duty Of the press of the state to re-
sist these aggressions. They should
stand firmly together and insist upon
the repeal of sham reforms"
The manifest truth and justice of the
sentiment contained in the above quo
tation should be understood by all and
to it would we especially call the at.
tention of those individuals in this
county, who have practically ignored
far from inconsiderable por-
ton of the press of this county,
in the matter of State and
County printing during recent years.
The present Board of County Com
missioners has withheld from the news
papers of this county, the publication
of notices, laws and statistics which are
the undoubted right of the people of
the county and have therein, we claim,
fallen short in their conception of
duty, not only to the newspapers, bnt
to the people who read them.
One instance of their utter disregard
of consistency may be noted in the fact
that they contracted with The CLAIR
ION in 1884 to publish the Annual
Statement of the finances Of the county,
for $50, giving all the other newspa-
pers in the county Except the Emmits.
burg CAronic1e) 800 and yet in 1885,
the same Board declined to permit
more than two Of the nine to print this
Statement at any price. 1t may be
proper to state, however, that one of
the country newspapers which had re-
ceived 500 in 1884 was asked to pub
lish the Statement in 1885 for $50, out
the publisher refused and after this, it
was allowed to no one. The CLARION
published it in 1884 for $50 and yet in
1885, when the newspaper which had
received 500 in 1884, refused to ac-
cept $50, it was not offered to THE
CLARION at any price.
Now, there are two points in this
matter to which attention is called.
First, if it was worth to the county
$50 to have the Statement published in
THE CLARION in 1884 it was worth as
much to the county to have it publish
ed in 1885, or to put it in another
light, If it was not worth anything to
the county to have it published in 1885,
then our Board of County Commission
ers wasted $50 of the peoples money in
1884, SO far as this paper is concerned,
or $500, counting all paid in 1884 to
newspapers in which it was not order
ed published in 1885. The second
point to which attention is called is the
fact that one Of the country newspapers
which received 500 in 1884, refused to
publish the Statement for $50 in 1885,
and yet one which only received $50 in
1884 was not even considered in 1885,
certainly not only ungenerous, but q
most contemptuors bit of treatment.--
What we have stated above is neither
surmise nor untruth it is plain, bust
meas truth and our authority for what
is reported outside of our own personal
affair is neither more or less than two
members of the present Board as re-
counted in The CLARION OFFICE by
them only some weeks ago.
Another instance Of the worth of the
local newspaper may be given in this
connection. Some months ago, propos-
ais to build and repair certain school
houses was published, but not marked
''Clarion Copy" but we did give a To-
cal notice of it and that local notice Sc
cured the successful bidder. Now, if
that successful bid was $75 below the
next highest, the county saved every
1oIlor that TuE CrapJON roat IL asst