The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-06-16
THE DREAMER'S WAGE

1t has often been suggested by
charitable disposed people that edi
tors of newspapers ought to be pen
stoned by the government One OF
the reasons usually given is that, as
a rule, they are more public spirited
than any other class and continually
give of their space and means to the
uplift of the community without hope
of reward.
Whenever there is a chance for q
grateful public to repay in some meas
ure this editorial benevolence edi-
tors fight shy of it, and generally see
to it that they come out loser, if pos
sible. No other business attracts the
dreamer so strongly as the newspaper
business and dreamerS are quite apt
to take their pay in hope" alone. To
dreamers, as class it is said, we owe
Nall of our progress in the arts and
sciences and the fact that every work
er can now make living with one
quarter of the body-racking toll and
sweat of our forefathers.
1t is pathetic that the editorial
dreamer with ideals so good should
fare SO poorly.
These thoughts were suggested by
a foolish fight for the privilege of
printing the proceedings of the board
of education in distant city. No
doubt the said board would be glad
to give the publisher of it's proceed
ings profit of 20 per cent as that is
generally considered a small enough
profit. They would no doubt agree to
pass the proceedings around SO that
in a given term of years each paper
would get fair show and all be
happy. But no! Competition, which
is said to be the life of trade" but
often is the death of the trader, must
enter in and defeat a benefit. There
was much bidding Cor gambling) and
the successful bidder took a shocking
gamble on the result, for he will GER
tainly rob his family or himself to
fulfill the terms of that contract. One
of his brother bidders sums up the
situation as follows:
The proceedings of the board of
education will hereafter be published
by the Gazette, that paper being the
lowest bidder. The Times bid So
cents per folio, the Leader 80 cents
and the Gazette 10 cents per folio of
100 words. The Leader has been
printing the proceedings at the rate
of rs cents per folio and we found that
we were doing it at no profit so we
raised the bid to 80 cents. The read
ing matter of the Leader has for
some time been set up by linotype.
this being cheaper than setting here
by hand. We pay at the rate of
about 16 cents per folio and if we
charged 10 cents per folio we would
only get about one cent per column
inch for space and the work of print
ing, as folio covers 21a inches OF
space. 1t certainly must cost the Ga
zette about the same amount and if
SO it is printing the proceedings at no
profit and no doubt at loss.
When will the dreamers learn that
it is better to keep hands off of a hot
contract than to suffer with burns
thereafter.
If an editor would refuse to gamble
around the cost line or dead line
he could be bread ahead at the finish
instead of a certain loser.
The overhead" cost that cannot
be lodged will put the Gazette in the
hole many pennies on every folio it
prints.
What doth it profit printer to
hand a wealthy city twenty-five dol
lars year for the privilege of doing
its work. The poorest street laborer
quits its service each night with the
pleasant knowledge that he is at
least a few shillings ahead of where
he was in the morning No such
cheering thought can come to the
editor of the Gazette. He must MOL
and plod and take less for his labor
than one of Nero's galley slaves, who
at least was fed and watered.
'Tis sad, but this is the dreamer S
wage. Instead of pension every
dreamer ought to have a guardian
Jefferson County Union.