West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1897-06-10

clamor aboat the cost of legal adj
VerNSlng. 1t Is not the law but
the abuse of the law that iustties
the public to complain. IL was
asserted before the late legislature
that tho cost Of publishing the
personal delinquent list in some of
the counties amounted to from
81, 200 to 81 800 year. The nv.
"r'clous editor who changed for
solid space and nonparcil cmSsifca.
ton when the law provides that tho
charge shall be by the word. is large
iy responsible for the attompted re.
peal aud resulting modification Of
the law. The legal price for adj.
vertlslng is sufficiently remunern-
tive, and what the newspapers want
is more of 1t at tho price provided.
Any disposition to overchnrse IS
unjustiticl and well calculated To
arouse antHgonism and bring the
profession in disfavorand disrcput,.
Thore should be more cordial
cooperation among newspaper nco.
The editor who IS in political nc-
cord with tho administration ia too
often inclined to hog everything in
sight. The result is that one paper
gets all Of the public patronage at II
rsmunerative price, while the other
IS jealous witness to the success
Of It's rival. This ultimately leads
to competitive bidding nnd squab
bling for the public printing, and
competitive bidding invariably ends
IN cnt-ihroat prices. The man who
receives the work as the patronage
OF his party, has to carry the weight
of the opposition OF his less fortu.
nate rival. Sclfshncss among pub.
fishers is the bane OF the newspaper
business. The majority paper, by
It's exclusive appropriation of pub
he work, loses the sympathy of the
minority paper, and az conse
quencc the fraternity does not re
ceiye It's corporation in maintains
talnlng legal prices or in extend
ing the field OF legal printing. The
paper that gets none Of the public
printing does not want the othor
paper to have it at remuncratiye
prices. Having no interest in legal
advertising it goes to work, through
envy, to manufacture popular pre-
JUDGE against the business in which |
1T should have a common interest. !
Competitive bidding for public |
work is always below legitimate
profit, and the newspaper men hem
selves thus educate the people to
believe the ordinary prices for
printing to be unreasonable and
extorlionate.
Nor are these the only evils that
result from this selfish policy and
cut.Lhroat system OF conducting the
newspaper business. in these times
OF independent action and political
revolutions, no man is gifted with
the presccncc to foresce what party
will be in the ascondancy at the
next election. The editor who has
been enjoying the usufruct Of party
patronage and imagine5 himself
safely entrcnched for a generation
to come, may find his party routed,
and even annihilated, at the next
engagement. The muta-
tons Of politics at length brings
tho minority ia power, and then
the editor who has manufactured
popular prejudccs against legal
advertising, has TO rcfntc tho argu-
ments advanced by himself dissi-
pate or counteract tho hostile spirit
that hc has been the chief agent i'm
establishing, or submit 20 the DIS
credit and stigma be has brought
upon hls own profession 10 HIS
been an irrecoucllHblo conflict.
waged by the "outs" against the
'pns," 30 tic mutual injury aud
loss Of tho individual participants.
80 well as 10 the delrmeut and
Of The newspaper business
10 all It's scope and throughout all
its ramiiicatiOu8.
The wi5cst course Tor the news
paper men to pursue is 10 restore
amicablo relations among them
selves divide all OF Tho public pat
rouagc they can secure, and make
the matter Of public printing one
OF common interest aud mutual |.
participation. a united press weld /.
an unlimited influence ou all qucs
uous pertaining to moral as wcll as
political economy. aud 10 could /.
scarcely be- less potent in trcafIrg |
baTmrufOualy fI. Yucst.,,.. ,It ]