Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-25
ARE COUNTRY EDITORS LAzY7

| Along with much good advice and
criticism given to the Southwestern
Iowa Editorial Association in his re-
Gently delivered address 10 that body
Editor A. w. Lee, of The Ottumwa
| Courier. said:
! THE trouble with great many
lively lazy and are unwilling to do
| the hard work necessary TO produce a
good newspaper. There are some edi-
tors who act as If they thought they
could make the public believe that a
sheet of white paper run thru print
|! ing press constitutes a newspaper. But
the public can not be long deceived.
The lazy publisher is always sure to
be found out"
| his knowledge of country papers and as
| applied to a certain proportion of the
country press is entirely just. II
seems somewhat sweeping and inclu-
sive. however, when 1t attributes lazi-
ness to "a great many country edi-
tors" 1t is true that there are too
many poor newspapers il Iowa and this
poverty Is in many cases attributable
to the slack methods of the publish
ers, but there are other causes which
should be taken into consideration.
In the first place there are too many
county papers III the state. Almost,
every railway station has It's weekly
publication. Some of THESE are so sit
uated that advertising patronage and
| job work. those two foun iations of the
successful county paper, are unobtain-
able. The circulation Of these papers
| is limited TO their imme liate neighbour
hood and their income from all sources
is scarcely better than the editors might
earn as section hands. In most in
stances their editors are not newspaper
men or even ordinary printers. Work
as they may, they can rot set out a
good local newspaper. No man can get
out 4 good newspaper who has not had
publish respectable sheet in town
With five store buildings and a black
smith shop. If he is not naturally lazy
he gets discouraged and so far as re-
suits are concerned thera is no great
difference between laz.ness and dis
enlargement.
Among the hundreds OF county ex-
changes that come to the Times
Republicans table there are instances
where gross laziness IS evident but
these instances are not many. There
are a few papers that come week after
week rich in advertising, but poor in
local news, made up and printed by
blacksmiths and generally remindful
of "a cheese press and Il keg of shingle
nails" but these are the exception. The
average of excellence is high. There
are dozens of these country prints
newsy, bright and snappy and mechan-
icaliy neat. They bear rrima facie evil
dence of hard work. They bring the
news of their territory They emit sparks
Of philosophy, fun and crisp counsel
They have individuality and sand. The
wonder arises how under the limita-
tons of a country field they can attain
so much excellence Some of these pa
pers issue from the minor towns.
Considering everything the average
country paper is worth the money. Not
great many of their EDITORS are lazy,
but too many OF the multitude of
Iowa weeklies are badly located and
have no excuse for existence. Hard
work will scarcely make a silk purse
out of sows ear or enable a publisher
to get out "a nonparell paper in small
plea town" 1t is not iaZiness that is
responsible for the poorest of Iowa
country newspapers, but optimism and
ignorance.