The Dickinson press., 1909-06-19

the Grand River Press vas established
in January, 1908 that it is recognized
as a legal newspaper by the Rapid City
land office that the circulation of said
newspaper is now about $50 copies. 252
of which are regular subscribers; that
the Press is circulated mostly in the
country adjacent to Grand River and
that most of its readers m homesteaders
in that vicinity. It appears from this
statement of MI. Lyman's that the
newspaper, with such a limited circu-
lation, cannot be considered as a paper
of the character intended by law, and
as from your report, which is not denied.
other papers of greater extended circu-
lation cOv the same territory that is
covered by the Grand river Press, your
action in declining to recognize that
paper is affirmed.
So advise Mr.. Lyman, and his right
of appeal. ~.
Very respectfully.
FRED BENNETT.
Commissioner.
Board of Law Review. 90,
By D. A. Milrick.
From the Adams County Record:
In the newly settled sections of the
WcSl llcIc dIc l"O ulStlllCt hlluS u
newspapers.
The first kind is a bonaide institu-
ton. in a bonafide field, advancing the
interests of the community, developing
the section in which it is located and a
potent and powerful factor in the COM
munity's progress. 1t is an institute
that above all others advertises the
country's resources and attracts the
eastern farmer and capitalist 10 the new
ly developing section where their energy,
enterprise, and capital, turned into the
proper channels. builds up a prosperous
community where nothing but a few
scattered ranchmen previously consti-
tuted the population. 1t is an institute
that has a distinct field of usefulness
and must be backed up by ability and a
certain amount of capital.
The second kind is that which is
commonly known as a final proof
sheet. The final proof sheet is indeed
an uncertain quality. 1t is an itinerant
institution which under the guise of a
newspaper is established at a cross road
where the owner hopes to wax wealthy
on land Office patronage in the form of
publication of final proof notices at S.. so.
Once the cream of this business has
been devoured the final proof sheet is
either uncermoniously killed off by its
owner or is removed to new fields where
operations are begun anew.
In the older sections of the state the
final proof sheets have passed into OBJ
livion and all that is left to remind us
of their having existed is the recollec-
tion of the injustice they worked to
bonafide newspaper projects by cutting
into their territory, grabbing a few
hundred dollars and giving nothing in
return.
In the newer sections the final proof
sheet is still a factor that the bonafide
newspaper has to reckon with. It is
an instrument for the dealing out of
Injustice, and a handicap not only to
bonafide journalistic ventures but in
directly to the development of the coun-
try. It is an evil growing out of a
system Of promiscuous recognition of
anything styled a newspaper.
In speaking of the action of Register
Carpenter in refusing to recognize final
proof sheets the Quinn (S0uth Dakota)
Courant very truthfully says:
There are entirely too many of these
final proof sheets, which have absolute
ly 10 other excuse for existence; they
are not and never will be newspapers.
Many of them are published by parties
who know as little about the printing
trade and newspaper work as a hog
does about Latin and are fearful and
wonderful productions both editorially
and geographically.