The Green Forest tribune., 1914-08-21
HONEST ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN

To Mr. J. L. Russell, Republican edi- tor of the Republican Green Forest Tribune: You accuse your associate members of the Arkansas Press As socation and of the newspaper craft of Arkansas of grating and flim-fam- ming the state out of thousand dol lars per county in 1912. Will you be honest enough to explain how?
 The above is an editorial prepared for the use of newspapers throughout the state by the publicity committee" of the Arkansas Press Association, and it affords us an opportunity we have been itching for for long time. The legislature of 1911, which ratified the Initiative and Referendum amend ment to the constitution and declared it law, failed to make an appropria- tion to pay for the publication of any acts that might be initiated to be voted on at the 1912 election.
 When the Turner-Jac act came on to be published and bunch of other proposed acts, the names of which we do not recall, the mater was explained by the Secretary of State /. and the editors he proposed to fa4 'fwith this patronage were told th3 F pay would depend upon the ne --aeeeelfi1ssege @.---s nropr' =...s.-
 In the meantime that generous good hearted, wholesouled philosopher and patriot, A. D. Murlin, manager of the Arkansas office of the Western News paper Union, had put his wits to work and the perplexing situation was woven into an elegant velvet fabric by a proposition from him to all who had the publication of the proposed acts and amendments to furnish the same already printed to be used in their papers in supplement forms for total cost of about $40 per paper.
 The 1. and R. acts themselves figured up $805. % for one paper in each county, at the legal rate, as the law con- templated, any publisher could see that it was good bet, so the boys tumbled over themselves to take the chance.
 After figuring on the situation at a second thought, the pudding appeared so juicy, owing to the generosity of the generous proposition of Mr Murlin, the Secretary of State conceived the idea of cutting the job in two in some counties, and later they even thirded and quartered it in some counties, each paper performing the same identical service for whatever fraction of the $805 fell to his portion.
 Over in Boone county, for instance, our friend, Capt. Newman of the Harrison Times got the whole wad; here in Carroll three papers got S268. B each, over in Baxter two papers got $402.50 each, while in Benton four papers got $2O12 25 each and so on throughout the state, the only rule ob- served being that only $805.00 could be used in each county on account of the proposed acts.
 No editor complained, but accepted his quoto as measured by the Secretary of State, with a closed mouth and grateful heart. The actions of the boys who got the quarter loaf, reminds us of the drug clerk who sold a man, who was hard of hearing, package of medicine, for which he had charged 35 cents. The old man heard the five cents" all right and threw down a nickel and walked out. The clerk yelled at him as he went out of the door 1855 cents, " but the old man kept hiking, and the clerk consoled himself by remarking, Well there is three cents profit anyway" The I. and R. patronage was all profit, besides there was method in keeping still.
 We'll, the legislature came on and the newspaper appropriation bill was one of the first introduced, and i'm mediately the hands of the editors of the state were lifted in holy horror, when the proposition was questioned. The legislature was told that the honor of Arkansas was at stake, the generous, self-sacrificing editors had saved to the people the precious I. and RJ legacy while the angel was yet being born, besides the obligation was l9gal one
 simply had to be paid.
 work an s. s. call
 -t;- of the