The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-01-28
Maine Press Association.
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT CHAS A
PILSBURY AT PORTLAND IAN. ~.

A.
PILsBURY AT PORTLAND JAN. ~,
1904.
At our last annual meeting the dea tbs
of five members of the Association
were reported. In the past year but
one has been taken from our ranks. A
few months ago Death claimed another
of our charter Members man loved
and respected by all who knew him: a
gentleman of the old school who bore
lightly his more than four-score wears
Major Eliphalet Rowell. Of our de-
parted brother it may well be said that
he was
Formed on the good old plan,
A true and brave and downright honest
He blew no trumpet in the market place,
Nor in the church with hypocritc face
Supplied with cant the lack of Christian
grace;
Loathing pretence, he did with cheerful
will
What others talked of while their hands
were still.
We shall have, of course, the usual
reports from the county historians; and
judging from quite large exchange
list the Maine papers have had pros
porous year. There has certainly been
an advance in Typography, in news
gathering and in general excellence. l
speak more particularly of what is
known as the country weekly. 1t is my
experience, and no doubt that of 9TH
ers, that the home paper is more than
holding its own against outside CON-
petition. The establishment of the
rural free delivery routes, so far from
injuring the country weeklies by the
introduction of the daily newspapers,
is positive benefit. We have quite a
number of these routes in Waldo county
and since their establishment there has
been decided increase in The Journals
subscription list. Had the result been
otherwise we must have accepted the
situation phiIosophically. The R. F. D.
has come to stay; the country people
are entitled to their increased postal
facilities; and this, with the good roads
movement, is in the line of progress
and for the public good.
The committee appointed to secure
the passage by the Legislature of an
equitable libel law are entitled to the
thanks of the Association for securing
what is said to be the best libel law
Maine has ever known. We shall have
report from that committee at this
meeting, SO that need not enter into
particulars. In nearly all the States
the press has been endeavoring to Sc
cure changes in the libel laws, and in
many cases without success. In New
York, although only slight moditica-
ton of the existing law was asked for,
the committee of the New York State
Press Association was able to get the
bill through but one branch of the leg
islature at the last session. The chair
man of the press committee reported
that he found the members of the legis-
lature very unfriendly to the press. 1
do not think there is any such feeling
in this State.
| read the other day an article from
The Editor and Publisher on holding up
bills; and as l was then having an ex-
perience in that line-a common ex-
perience, no Doubt seemed to me
that the matter was one that might
well be brought before this Association.
Said The Editor and Publisher: 'Firms
that once had the reputation of paying
their bills within the regulation 30 days
now make it rule to pay nothing in
less than 6 months, and some make it
even longer" l have not had my pa
thence tried to that extent yet; but the
tendency is decidedly that way. Firms
that once paid promptly now not only
delay payment but require frequent
dunning before they pay at all. In a
number of cases where we have had
renewal orders we have held up the adj
vertising until payment was received
for the work done. In a recent case
we had completed full years work on
a difficult contract, requiring a good
deal of composition, and not only had
no response to bills sent, but for more
than two months could get no reply to
courteous business letters. The con-
Germ is supposed to be responsible
one-we should not otherwise have ac-
cepted business from them--but we de-
clined to enter upon further contracts
until the old account was closed What
is the remedy? The Editor and Pub
Usher says that two OF the largest pa
pers in the country, The Philadelphia
North American and The Philadelphia
Record, now allow discount of 10 per
cent. for commission with an additional
per cent. PROVIDED the bills are paid
within 30 days; while smaller publish
er has figured fair rate of interest,
added it to his space rates throughout,
and had his cards revised accordingly.
Perhaps the most effective way would
be to refuse to do business with con-