The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-09-03

make a gay and patriotic scene. The
merchant will send in his bill for that /
The carpenters must be paid for putting
up the platform, and the teamster iJr
hauling water to the grounds
'Now," will say the committee with
an air of satisfaction with its labors, its |
all arranged but the crowd The local
I paper must boom our glorious celebra-
ton, and that will bring the crowd"
/ Then this enterprising committee, which
is usually made up OF business men who
will profit from the crowd gathered to
share in the celebration, calls on the
struggling editor and publisher to use his
types and presses, his paper and ink, and
pay his printer and pressman to boom
the celebration for the good of the town.
1t seems not to occur to it that he is
subject to all the multifarious items of
expense which enter into other lines of
business; that he has his capital invested,
is giving his labor to his chosen calling,
and therefore ought to be paid for every
service performed for others and the town.
He is expected to provide his income in
some mysterious way, put in large part
OF his time, and devote great deal OF his
resources to booming the town and drum
ming" up business for the other business
houses in the place. And if he is not
cheerful about it, there are hints of boy
colt, and murmur for an opposition pa
per, and unless he yields to this pressure,
perhaps some inexperienced person will be
tempted to come in and start a second
paper in town which could not give
decent support to one.
For these unsatisfactory conditions the
fraternity has itself to blame You can
+ not change human nature. 1t is pretty
much the same in every town. Free SER
vice from newspapers the public has had
so long that it has come to belief that
= the town or the county has proprietary
interest in them. 1t plays one paper
against another, and too often rival ed
itors or publishers lend themselves with
eager spirit to the game, giving away
much of their valuable space, cutting
i their subscription rates to a price which
> hardly meets the bare cost of white paper
: and bidding down the public printing t.
: rates which are preposterously low and
It ruinous.
: 1t is part of our system of govern
J the acts of their officials. To that enc
{ the various states have made wise pro
vision for the publication of certain mat
}. tiers of public interest. The compensate,
u is fixed by law. Usually it is fair an'
il reasonable, and when the newspaper per
u forms the service contemplated by law
u it ought to receive the compensation
- named by law; and would receive it l
J." editors and publishers would drop thei
ie rivalries and regard each other as brother
u in noble guild rather than as unyieldin
foes.
u If these gatherings of newspaper me
eO of the northwest shall serve no other pun
&c pose than the ultimate adjustment c
the ruinous practice of doing county an
&C city printing for a 1.-THE of the just rate
u, fixed by law, they will be worth man
III times over all they have cost in time an
w W effort. If the various papers representa-
u here today could have, during the comm
ne years, that which the law allows them fC
NE honest service the financial condition
'u those here today would be tremendous
&C improved, and their noble calling take G
g !: new dignity and power.
IL Frank Carleton Teck read pleasir
up verses of his own composition; Lovett \
oi Wood spoke in a humorous vein; c. V
lie Gorham recited a dialect selection al
u, r. G. Niclllin kept his hearers wideawak
eu discussing the Philippine question; the Ii
'ie erality of the Spokane Fruit Fair peop
eli under the direction of Manager Bolste
who enlivened the. excursionists by h
ne presence, was appreciated by the visitor
as and the Washington State Band of Sp
., kane added much to the enjoyment of t
=" trip.
4 Election of Officers.
for The Washington Association elected
,as w. Durham of the Spokesman Revie
he president; o. NJ. Moore, Seattle Time
nd first vice-president; j. Hannum JONI
nor Nooksack Reporter, second cepresiden
air f. r. Baker, Tacoma Sun, third vic
,ca president; Will A. Steele, Post-Intel
ON gencer, retary-treasurer; Charl
nor Prosch, Seattle, historian; I. G. Nickli
IN Whatcom, orator; Frank c. Teck, Whi
nm com Blade, poet, and the following c
orr ecutive committee; L. M.Wood, chairms
ose Seattle Trade Register; Mrs. Minnie 81
MI gent, Pullman Tribune; c. NJ. Shultz,
mn coma Ledger; I. j. Bell, Tacoma Heral
,av E. NJ. Day, Peoples Party News, N
" Whatcom.
our Deiega.es anu ai.eiiia'es ~ Tic i"'ioi
of convention were also elected.
nst The following are the officers elect