The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-29

Publication of Legal Advertising.
To the Editor of the indianapolis Journai
1 see the announcement made in the Jour-
nal this morning that Senator Burns will
introduce a bill this week to cause all
| legal notices to be published in two news
papers instead of one, as is now true of all
notices except those provided for in the
county and township reform laws. The
statement in the Journal contains this sem
tence. 1.-The object of the bill is to di-
vide the printing between the papers rep
resenting the two leading political par
ties''
If that be the real object of the bill it
should not pass unless some other more
desirable result should be accomplished.
The division of public patronage is not SUI
ficient reason for enacting any law, even
of the most Importance. The purpose in
any legal publication Is to inform the
people upon matters that are OF public
In terest and moment If the law SHOULD
require the publication OF any matter that
Is OF neither interest nor consequence to
the people the requirement is unjust, and
the expense attending such publication is
unwarranted Under such circumstances
publication should not be required by law.
On the other hand, matters of public
interest and Of consequence TO the pub
Tic should be given the widest possible pub
To the public should be complete. Therefore
the statements made in such publications
should contain all essential details, and
the method of giving these facts to the
public should be such as would convey
said facts to the greatest possible number
or citizens interested in them. 1t seems
To me that publications made in the two
leading newspapers representing the two
political parties casting the largest num-
Der of votes at the last preceding election
will cause such notices to reach the great
sc cft
same time keeping the expense within reas-
enable limit. / believe. therefore. that
the result of such bill as the Journal says
Senator Burns proposes to introduce would
DC TO secure desired publicity, even Though
the object IN view by the author of the
bin might Re merely TO divide the patron
the patronage the bill should NOT
be considered; from the point of
securing publicity. 1t deserves to be-
posite political parties will usually reach
more citizens in any county than any two
newspapers tb2s may be selected according
to any other provision. Again. any two
newspapers will bring legal notices to the
attention of more persons than any other
form Of presenting such notices to the pub
lie.
One publication of a legal notice is rot
enough 10 secure desirable publicity. In
the country districts any farmer is liable
10 miss one issue OF his paper without
n entioninS the matter TO the publishers
But he IS almost certain to call for an
extra copy III he should fail TO receive
two OF his papers In succession. Collision
between attorney and publisher. be-
tween an attorney and the postmaster,
between the publisher and the postmaster
could prevent citizen most interested in
"A publication from receiving his paper con-
tanning the first publication OF a legal no
tce, and, probably. the citizen woull
not call upon the publisher for the
paper But he would not submit quietly
10 the detention OF two copies OF his paper
~ succession. The second publication OF
the notice need rot be expensive as
the first. and the additional expense for two
successive publications Is more than war
rented by the additional and necessary pub
hcity given All legal notices should be