Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-03-11

the Office to the Success OF the News
paper and by c. w. Barron of Osh-
was transacted, eight or ten applications
for membership being received which
will be acted upon later
The convention adjourned its after
noon session at 500 in order to partake
of the dinner given by. the Evening Wis
conSin, and some seventy or seventy-hVe
members of the association and then
wives proceeded to the hostelry IN a
body. The dinner was served in the
main dining room of the hotel, located
on the seventh floor, and the menu fully
sustained the reputation of the elegant
motel. The editors and their newspaper
ScOrts remained seated at table for an
hour and q half and from what was
learned afterwards from volunteer re-
marks by some of the most laxative edi-
tors 1T was apparent that the dinner was
enjoyed.
The evening session was auspiciously
opened with several selections by Bach's
qulntette which seemed to touch a Dopu-
lar chord in the hearts of the EDITORS
and ladies in attendance. The attend
ance was not as large as in the after
noon, several members living within a
short distance of Milwaukee having gone
to their homes to spend the night. The
principal addresses of the evening were
made by eX-Goy. Hoard and Col. u. \.
Calkins, whose "reminiscences of early
Wisconsin Journalism was a graphic pOr
trayal of the difficulties met with Ivy the
editors of the country papers in the EOS.
hIr. HOards address was happy sug-
geStiOn to the editorial forces in the in
terror to copy metropolitan journalistic
methods in their daily voca tons. ,idvis-
ing them to adopt the Interview as his
basis cot operations in preparing their
weekly paper.
After the adjournment of the assoca-
ton the members were invited to accept
the hospitality of the Milwaukee, Press
club, and all repaired to the clubs quar-
ters at the corner of Broadway and Mason
street. where an impromptu musical
and literary programme was rendered.
Bach's Quintette played a number of
brilliant selections, and members of the
club and the guests supplied other feat
Urcs of merit, some of the most nota BILE
being Arthur Yields amusing cantata,
which was received with tumultuous APP
plause. Stories b. ex-Gov. Hoard, songs
by eX-Secretary of State Cunningham
and James Z. Heg. The ladies who ac-
companied the editorial forces from the
| the Press clubs quarters and admired
the general effect of the decorations.
Fridays Session.
The Wisconsin editors met Friday
at $3.50 o'clock and took up several
questions announced for discussion at the
session yesterday afternoon, but which
were not reached yesterday. The at
tendance at the opening session in the
morning was quite large and much inter-
est was manifested in the topics taken
up.
G. w Bowron of Oshkosh read a pa
per upon Libel Laws" in which he
spoke of the accommodation of all things
to new modes Of living and advances in
civilization with the exception of the
ls11 -'c, n1o+i TO al, 0F =
newspaper.
The paper on libel was received with
applause and on motion the thanks of the
association to Mr.. BowrOn for his ex-
haustive review of the libel laws, and it
was suggested by Mr.. Youmans that the
author of the paper be made chairman of
a committee on legislation, as suggested
in the paper.
The paper was discussed at consider
able length by members of the associa-
ton, and remarks upon the subject of
libel were made by Col. Watrous, John
Hicks and others. Col. Watrous thought
some editors ought to be sued for libel,
and Col. Hicks referred to instances in
which he was particularly interested,
and spoke Of a libel suit which his pa
per has on at the present time. The
editor, he said, stood little chance and
he realized that his next door neignUor
may bring a libel suit against the editor
any day. He realized that the editor
was liable almost daily, under the law,
and he realized that in referring to his
own libel suits in this meeting he was
making himself again liable for referring
to the cases. He gave several instances,
however, in which libel suits had fol-
lowed the utterances of certain things
as a matter of news. 1.-The world moves
in almost everything except in the mat
ter of libel laws" said Mr.. Hicks, and
he declared that newspaper publishers
stood before the world In the matter of
liability just where they stood 400 or
200 years ago. Editor Wheelock also
thought that more liberal libel laws
should be passed by legislative bodies.
He thought the motion of Mr Youmans
for the appointment of a committee on
libel legislation should prevail
Mr.. Hurlburt of Oconomowoc spoke
with considerable vigoT upon the ques-
lature in the hope of getting concessions
from them in the shape of better hbe,
laws.
A motion was made to publish the
paper by Mr.. BOwron, In pamphlet form,
but it being stated that It might not be
desirable to distribute tAe paper in that
way, the motion was withdrawn.
A recess of ten minutes was t1Isenr
and when the convention reconvened it
was announced that all who desired to-
accept the invitation of Manager Webster
of the Academy of Music to attend the
receive tickets for the same at noon
Ex-Gov. Hoard made a few happy re-
marks, suggested by Editor Prices pa
per, and said that he was only able to-
keep his office looking neat by paying a
janitor 81 per day. p. D. Coe spoke
briefly on the topic of keeping the print
ing office in shape He said the question:
of neatness was largely matter of gift,
and he feared all editors could not follow
the example set by Brother Price.
Secretary O. f. Roessler made his re-
port, showing that applications for mem
bership were on file from seventeen
newspaper men. The secretary also re-
ported that applications for membership
had been received from the following:
John G. Gregory, Evening Wisconsin,
Milwaukee; Henry B. Koempfer Pilot,
West Bend; r. B. Watrous, Telegraph,
Milwaukee: William III. Hotchkiss, Reg
lister, Brodhead; Mrs. Maize HurIaurt,
Free Press, Oconomowoc; w. w. Pol
lock, Sentinel, Milwaukee; Fred r.
Helmer. Rock County Banner, Clinton;
James l. Toner, Sun, Kaukauna; Reyn-
olds J. Greenman, News, Milton juno