The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-02-25
FLORIDA PRESS LAWS
SHOULD Be AMENDED
Plans Laid Out by South
Florida Press Assocla-
ton.

At the meeting of the South L lor-
ida Press Association held at BARROW
Jan. 18th, 1916, | was appointed {,
committee of one to urge upon your
attention and also upon the attention
of the State Press Association ana
all subsidiary associations the lmpol~
lance of active efforts to secure reg
islation to relieve the newspapers OF
some of the restrictions, burdens anu
disadvantages now imposed upon
them. o,ou+od
Below are the suggestions adopteo
hv the South Florida Association,
which you are urged to present per
sonally to the candidates for the leg
islature in your county and also TO
the press association OF winch you
may be a member: !;
/. The injustice of the present IL
bel law arises from the wording Oh
Section 10 of the Bill of Rights OF the
state Constitution. The words good
motives should be stricken out, ana
to this end constitutional amend
ment should be submitted.
2. A law should be passed to per-
NIT newspapers to publish any mat
ters contained in the public records
of town. city, county or state and
forbidding the taking of any legal
action. civil or criminal, against ed"
tors or owners of newspapers pup"
fishing such records-unless it can be
clearly shown that the publication
thereof was prompted by malice.
3. There should be law to pro
hibit the publication of legal notices
of any kind in newspapers that have
not been established at least one year
or in any that are not printed wholly
within the county. "Patent" pages
cut advertising rates below cost.
a. All town, city, county and state
officials should be required by law to
Inv all their blank books and printea
stationery for their offices from
Florida printing concerns, if such
supplies can be furnished by Florida
printers.
5. The Bryan primary law SHOULD
be so amended as to give the news
papers fair returns for political ad,
vertising. Every candidate for State
or Federal office should be allowed
to spend for advertising in neWspa
pers as much as $4,000 in each daily
and $500 in each weekly.
6. The fee for publishing the laws
passed by each legislature should ht
increased from $4,000 to $4,000
You know that $4,000 does not GOV
er the actual expense of this work
and, as the publication is made onl,
once in two years, $4,000 for one pa
per in each county would not be
heavy expense upon the state.
7. An itemized list of all bills. &C
counts and claims ordered paid b!
the county commissioners of eac!
county should be published in one .
more newspapers of each county
This publicity would greatly aid i
; eliminating any graft that might b
going ON and would prove a protec
ton to the taxpayer. For this ser
vice, the usual legal rate should be al
lowed.
Both the newspapers and the pub
Lie need legislation embodying tn
above suggestions, and it is sincere
lily hoped that you will personally ex
ert yourself to accomplish the result
desired. Do not content yoursel
with merely adopting formal res6lu
tons, but "get busy" with your can
didates for the legislature,
With best wishes.
Fratenrally yours,
A. P. JORDAN, Committee.