Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1896-01-28
THE RIGHTS OF NEWSPAPERS

For some weeks past the Appeal
mas Deer fighting the County of Orm
D TO recover the paltry sum of S5t
ana some odd cents for printing the
county tax roll, the price of which. as
liked by the law of the State, shall not
exceed 20 cents a name. The APPEAL
charged the limit allowed by law, hut
Messrs. Bray and Woodbury.. after
putting their heads together over the
bill. concluded that it was too ueb 70
allow a newspaper and cut it down TO
Is cents a name, under the notion tn AT
the Leglslatuse in fixing the rate did
not know what it was doing.
Why Messrs. Bray and Woodbury.
hould pit their brains against the
combined wisdom of the Legislature
Is not a matter for discussion here.
hor 90 we know at the present time
what the outcome of the suit will he
as Judge Mack has taken the case
under advisement and as vet no deci-
sion has been reached.
The law Of this State has nlaced p
rate upon every piece of work re-
qulred by law to be done by a newspa-
per. 1t has placed a limit upon everv-
tnlng that the printer does. and the
sign blazoned by the law over his work
IS, 5 far shalt thou go and no far
Their"
But the law places such limits
upon the professional services Of NJ
other calling. A physician who scts
the broken leg Of a rich man can
charge $4,000 and the law helps him
10 collect it. \ lawyer settles M a
$4,000 estate and pockets $4,000. and
the Court says it is alright, but if a
newspaper charges $50 for a tax sale
or administrators sale in the same
case the bill is scrutinized and gener-
ally cut down about one half. while
some side remark is made by the at
'orney that "these d nawsnanars
want the earth"
\ politician who steals a speech
from some other State and wells # .
few times at an andience Of hobos i
loaded with public honors and allowed
10 live the balance Of his life DRAWING
a rat salary and doing nothing, bnt
the newspaper publisher who is de-
lending the interests of his State over
300 days in the year is treated like p
petty larceny thief every time he IRE
sents a bill for any service required
by law.
a lot OF ~pin-headed Legislators who
get IN office every two years bv reason
OF the exertions Of mn in
haIf the session passing bills reguIat-
Ing the charges Of newspapers until
the newspapers in this State have very
nearly struck a starvation basis. and
Tor every dollar they legally earn they
nave to spend so per cent in court fees
and litigation getting it.
II APPEAL has been obliged six
times to resort to litigation in order
10 collect legal rates for ADVERTISING.
has won every suit so far. except
me present one, which is undecided. {
these suits are backed by the New
Newspaper Association and we
ready to keep on fighting them as
ong as the other side are willing to
costs and employ lawyers.
Inc present newspaper laws seem TO
'e IN some way ambiguous to public
ulcers, and the newspaper men of Ne \
ada, will at the next session of the
legislature present a general newspa- =
er law fixing rates on all kinds Of +
dvertising and printing REQUIRED bv I
aw; and furthermore, the politica
arty neglecting to pledge itself to
air play to the press need not expect
lie friendship or support Of Nevada .
ewspapers in the future.
The press Of this State has been
umbugged on this proposition long r
lough and is now fully organized
nd equipped for a fight to protect its
~lterests.