The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-03-01
EDITORS CONVENE.
fhe Quill Drivers of Wisconsin in Annu-
al Session.

| gramme of literary exercises, and ball.
About fifty editors were present. Ar
mory hall Was crowded with large su
| dlence when S. B. Smith, chairman of
| the local committee, called to order, and
| introduced j. B. Doe, Jr., who, in be-
half of Mayor st. John, gave an elo-
quent address of welcome, which was
responded to by Mark II. Barnum, of
| the Wausau Torch of Liberty. Presi-
dent Price delivered his annual ad-
dress. Mrs. j. B. Day recited very ef-
| iectively Cartoons poem, Making an
| Editor Outen of Him." and Ellis Is.
Usher read paper on The Editorial
Page as 1t Is and as It Ought to Be-"
Two quartettes OF ladies and gentlemen
respectively gave & number of songs.
At the close of tbs literary programme
| the hall was cleared for dancing. A
large number of GAINESVILLE citizens par
ticipated, and delightful social event
followed.
At the morning session on Wednes-
day there were q number of discussions
that were Interesting as showing the
] bent of the editorial mind on matters
affecting the editorial interest. The
first discussion grew out of a paper by
Secretary Coon, OF the Edgerten Report
er, on the question whether 1t is expe-
dent for newspapers TO patronize adj
vertising ANIMALS, Mr.. Coon taking the
negative. In the discussion which en-
sued Gov. Hoard made sugges-
be formed by the publishers
of the state, which union shall, through
one agent, represent the publishers in
place OF the advertising agencies. The
result was that President Price finally
appointed q committee to consider the
adyIsatlllly OF forming such a union,
the committee TO report st Il later date
IN the present session, and to be COM
posed of +. X. Dunn, of the
Eiroy Tribune; Gov. Hoard, of
Hoard's Dairyman; Geo. w. Peck.
Of Peck's sun; NJ. II. Bsrnum,
of the Wausau Torch, and NJ
Z. Rindlaub, of the Platteville Witness
All of these gentlemen, and others, par
tlcipated in the talk on the subject. The
majority OF the speakers said they had
long refused 10 advertise III the ANIMALS
that they We're a deluson and 81 snare,
intended for and actually accom- pIishing
the purpose OF swindling the unsophistl-
Gated country publisher, " no, though he
may boast OF his independence under
ordinary circumstances, qGalls beneath
the autOcra.lc arrogance OF the adver-
tlslng agency.
Ii. I. Sharp, of the Deiavau Enter
prise, sent regrets al his inability 10 re-
cover from the grip sufficiently to be
present; and along with his regrets sent
a paper which reviewed the action of
the Wisconsin Legislature at its last
session regarding proposed changes in
the law Of libel. T.. u. Coe read the
paper, which WAS provo catlve OF a
lively discussion, in which GOV. Hoard
Of Low nf
idea that no newspaper editor
should have more protection than pri-
vate individual; that the present law
contains all that Is necessary to the
proper and Just prote ction Of the editor,
and that if lie violates the sanctity
of mans private life, or if
he publishes a libel, he should
be held to strict accountability
Tor his language. After remarks by
+. +. Hurlbut, OF the Oconomowoc
Free Press, John X. Bennett, judge OF
the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, WAS called
upon to give statement of the law of
libel. The law, he said, presumes
malice in the publication Of libel, but
the defendant can always submit the
truth il evidence. In mitigation OF the
libel it can be shown, If that be the fact.
that the libelous article Was copied
from another paper in the belief that
ii was the truth, and was published at
secondhand without malicious pur-
pose. Another mitigation may be a
retraction made in good talth, lmmedl-
stely after the publication. Judge Ben
nett said he did not understand that
the presumption of guilt is different in
libel suits than in other criminal cases.
The law of innocence until guilt is prov
en- is universal, and every reasonable
doubt of guilt must be removed before a
conviction can be made. When the
charge made against the individual in
the alleged iibelous publication Is prov
en- to be true, the charge of malice is at
once raised.
John Nagle, of the Manitowoc Pilot,
was to have led discussion on discrim-
ination III insurance rates against print
ing Offices IN his absence, II. l.. Fon-
taine, of the Grand Rapids Reporter,
led. The rates giveE IN the different
cities represented were given, but 40
action Was taken toward remedylng the
classification OF printing offices as extra
hazardous insurance risks.
At the close of the morning session
the GAINESVILLE fire department gave an
exhibition, followed by parade of
thoroughbred horses.
At the afternoon sesslon +. y. Coe
read an outline history of the various
meetings of the Press Association since
its organization in 1857. At that first
meeting, which he said was reported to
have been inspired by Brick" Pome-
roy, complete schedule of prices on
lob work was agreed to, each member
binding himself TO abide by those prices.
Mr.. Coe gave the names OF the otil
GERS, the dates and places of meeting,
and the excursion routes selected each
wear, and gave number OF incidents of
the meetings and Of The early members
in an interesting way. HIS paper WAS
deemed so valuable that lie was lmme-
diatelv given the title of historian Of the
association, with authority to elaborate
il for publication in separate pamphlet
form.
The correlative topics, How to Make
the Country Weeklies What They Ought
to Be-" and "How to Run Daily Paper
in Proper Shape" appeared upon the
programme, the leaders of discussion of
country journalism being city news
paper men, and vice versa. James w.
Scott. of the Chicago Esrald, gave a
pointed talk on various ideas sag
eested by the comparative merits Of
the country and daily Journal. He
had been country editor himself,
he said, with all tnat that implied. In
these days, when patent lnsides and
stereotype plates cut such large figure
in the economical management of a
weekly paper, he thought one thing
worthy of conside ration, and that was
the matching of the type and style OF
the home-printed part OF the paper
with that furnished by the ready
print houses. Mr.. Scott had
once been the publisher of a
pstent-inside paper IL Maryland, he
said. and had followed that plan
with exsctness. He sent the paper
each week TO certain young lady, and
received an unGeserved reputation with
the young lady's mother for'the good
taste displayed in his selections OF
CT q