The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-01-25
FURNISHING THE puBL1sHERsp

1t appears like the legislature was
not going to rest contented until it
has laid down the law to the news
papers OF the state what they have
got o submit to along various lines
that the legislators think they need
reforming on. Just what ground
certain legislators have in their
evident desire to punish the news
papers we are at a loss to know. 1t is
certain that the newspaper men OF
the state have a hard enough time to
get along without some legislator
making it all The harder by passing
some laws which. can be classed as
purely class legislation.
In the anti-pass bill the editors are
made to suffer by making it impossi-
BILE for them to dispose of their
advertising psace Just as they see MT.
III a newspaper man wants to sell
his advertising space to a railroad
and take an equal amount OF trans
portation in exchange for it, is it
any more business of the legislator
to stop that than it would be for
him to say that a farmer could not
bricg ten pounds of butter or fifty
dozen OF eggs to town and exchange
them for dry goods or groceries?
Will net the newspaper man be
allowed to say in what way he will
dispose of his advertising space? If
he can make an advertising contract
With some business man to trade
space for dry goods or groceries, why
cannot he do the same thing with a
railroad? Isn't it picking out a class
Of men with rather distinguishing
force to apply a law unto them when
1t does not apply in the same way to
any other class. The editors Of the
state have voiced their sentiments
against the pass true enough, but
the advertising mileage cannot tie
considered in the light Of a pass.
The latter Is good from one years's end
to the other, and its possessor can
ride on it any time Of the year. With
the advertising mileage, a publisher
may have D or two thousand mile
books and when they are used up
that is the end of his free transport
tation, and he might use them up
with two months and be without
mileage the rest of the year. Where
as, were be given a pass his trans
pOrtation would last throughout the
year.
These reform gentlemen have taken
another swipe at the newspaper man
by introducing a will requiring a
written order before the publisher
can collect the subscription price of
his paper. That is. to secure a new
subscriber the publisher must have
a written order from the subscriber
that he desires to subscribe for the
paper before a collection can he
made. Well, Mr.. Legislator, why
not go further and include in your
bill the grocer or dry goods merchant
and require that they shall have all
orders for groceries written out be-
fore a collection a be made?, Must
the burden all be put on the publish
er? What would a g%roceryman do il
he were required to secure a written
order from a customer should he
want a pound Of tea, and she witt
a telephone in the house. The natur,
al thing for her would be to tel.
phone.her order. and it is tn. sam
way with a person who might wan
to subscribe flr a newspaper by or
dellng the same yer the telephone
yet this law would shut off the pub
lisher and permit the grocer to enio'
that freedom.
The legislator can we'll afford t
90 slowly on these matters whifl
affects the business of the publisher
We cannot imagine any man Of goG
sound Judgment voting in f4vof q
such a proposition, and we hope an
believe that when the two question
come up for final passage that the
will be voted down.