The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-03-27
THEY MUST Be uINCUIsTs
Editors "Dish Up" Their Matter In
Two Languages, Spanish
and English.
From Tuesdays Daily Gazette.

thing it is on the mainland. The pub
Usher there has things to contend
with that are unknown to his brother
in the States" Not only must he
Civ the news so that his "Americano'
subscribers can read it, but he must
also cater to the desire of the natives
for information. This a only be
done by making his paper a sort of
double edition, half printed in Eng
lish and the other half in Spanish, or
in the language that passes for Span
ish, for those pretending to be COM
potent to judge declare that some OF
the Castilian heard there would puz-
zle a man from Spain to understand,
being a mixture of Spanish and tribal
dialects that presents a wonderful
sound to the ear.
This morning a copy of h llollo
Times was received by a member or
The Gazette family and it proved a
curiosity, even to tn Oldest OF them,
both as regards makeup" and typo
graphical appearance. Despite a very
apparent effort of the publishers to
make the sheet look as much like
an American production as possible,
it has a distinctively foreign air, al
though this is somewhat modified by
the rates of subscription that head
the first column of the second page,
which in this country would be de-
voted 10 editorial matter, but which
in the case of the Times is given over
to news and correspondence. "Vox
Populi" and Constant Reader" are
not among those who make contribu-
lions, but instead appear "Un Amer1-
cano" and "Blas Valera" probably
the Iloiloan for Subscriber" or "Pro
bono Publico.'' In order that the dis
tinguished contributors may talk to
the largest possible audience, their
communications are printed in two
languages. anon evidently has
something to say of peculiar interest
to the natives, for his letter is print
ed so that only the "amigo" may read
and understand it.
The absence of editorial comment
and expression of opinion is probably
attributable to the delicacy which at
tends utterance of anything savoring
of criticism by any of the Philippine
editors, for the authorities owe there
have put a decided damper on vault
ing editorial ambition by the manner
they have of locking up or deporting
scribes whenever they say
something that does not meet with the
appreciation of the gentlemen into
whose keeping Uncle San has given
the islands. AS "Anon's" article is
headed "Vox Uopuli" it is possible
that the editor of the Times conclud-
ed it was up to him to say something
on a matter of public interest and i'm
portance and sought to escape re-
sponsibility by publishing his opinion
under the guise of a communication.
Even editors in the United States are
known occasionally to do the same
thing.
!, But the correspondents are not the
only ones who have the benefit of
a dual publicity, as it were. Some
of the advertisers take advantage of
the b%i-lingual arrangement to let the
public know what they have to sell
and the prices they are prepared to
make. Hence the native whose &C
complishments in the English Ian
guage nave reached no higher stage
of development than is expressed in
the knowledge of the single wore
'sw'iskey" may read where he can buy
liver compound, American shoes, corr
starch, coffee mills and harness polish
Some of the dealers are not at al
modest in letting the people know tina
they are in business, for several o
the Times advertisers have hal
pages, while those who confine them
selves to columns or half columns ar
by no means few.
The Times is not solely given to tn
sordid occupation of making none
for it's publishers, A large part c
one page is devoted to lessons i
grammar. Conjunction of the yer
..call" is given in it's various tense
and moods. both in English an
Spanish, showing that the editor
not so absorbed in his many due
as not to find a little time to devot
to the very laudible task of %increasin
the store of general knowledge of tn
language of the aconquestadors" an
making it easier for the "hombres
to understand them.