The oasis., 1894-08-09
DISHONEST JOURNALISM.

uiHerent phases or the same moral
 obliqulty in other lines of business.
 One of the most common manifesto
 tions consists in the publication of
 series of alleged postal regulations con-
 veying the idea that the post office de-
 partment and even the postal laws
 adopted by congress have provisions
 for punishment of those who are de-
 lineuent in payment of subscription
 price of newspapers they may take or
 which may be sent them. Among tho
 assertions promulgated in these pub-
 lications of alleged postal regulations
 and postal laws are the statements
 that to take newspaper addressed to one out of postOfiice by the addressee and afterward to refuse to pay for 1t Is a prima facie case of fraud, and can be punished accordingly, while the own CT of the newspaper can collect the subscription price of the paper for all
 the entire time 1t is so taken. An other assertion SO conveyed is that to do so has been decided by the courts to constitute the offence of petty lar ceny, and subject the offender to i'm prisonment in jail on that count. An other is an assertion that when a sub scriber desires to stop paper he must pay up all arrears; otherwise the pro- prietor of the paper can continue to send the paper and collect for all the time it is so sent until settlement is made in full
 All'these reputed postal laws, regula- tions, and judicial decisions are with out foundation save in the dishonest imagination of some dishonest news paper publisher. There are no such laws, regulations or decisions any where on the books, and the publIca- tion purporting to be compilation of such is an unprincipled fake, put forth by men who if not in the newspaper business would be among the worst offenders against the craft. In doing so they are just as dishonest as the people who subscribe for papers and then refuse or neglect to pay.
 This compilation Of alleged regula- tions, laws and judicial decisions us- ually appears in papers that are not worth the price they ask for subscrip- tion, and is made of use to dragoon people into paying for what they do not want. No really reputable news paper, which feels that it is giving value received for it's subscription price, will use it; just as a reputable newspaper will not send copies of it's issues to anyone without authority, expecting pay afterward. Frequent ly people will order favorite news paper sent to friends elsewhere, and pay for the subscription. That is au- thority to send it, and the one so au- thorizing 1t sent is the one to whom the honest newspaper looks for pay. Whenever a newspaper is sent with out such authority, it is just as dis honest to expect pay, as it is to order it sent and then refuse to pay. And it is just as dishonest to tell people they can be made to pay in such cases.
 So widely has this fictitious regula- tion of the postofce department cir culated that many people refuse to take out of the postorfice newspapers which have been ordered addressed to them by some friend who paid the sub THE OASIS has had notice of number of such. To all who re- ,eive this paper without having them selves subscribed, it is herein stated that the paper has been authorized md paid for by some friend or by the Benson committee. It is not sent reg Ic .1. 4< lo .lo Al.