The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-21

which, again, seem to be more OF
less permanent, and some OF which
are clearly transtory. The price of
paper began TO mount about two
years ago; and while this tendency
has undoubtedly been stimulated by
artificial means, it is due, for the
most part, to economic causes
which are not easily comfortable.
Practical substitutes for wood pulp
have not yet been discovered, and
the vanishing forests OF spruce mark
an increasing scarcity OF wood pulp.
The remedy is as slow and costly as
that OF replacing by hand the for
estS which Nature planted, cultivat-
ed and presented to us ready for
use. OF course conditions produced
by the war have been another slim
uluS to this mounting tendency, and
not only with respect to the price
OF paper, but Of every other raw ma
terial of newspaper production.
Doubtless with the passing Of the
war some relief will be felt, but
there is no reason to expect such
relief as could bring the cost OF
newspaper production down to any
thing like what it was few years
ago.
But the publishing business has
much greater grievance against the
war than can be made out of its
contribution to the costs of produc-
ton. Or, rather, it would be more
accurate to say that its grievance is
against those who exercise The pow
cr of government; for the war is
the occasion, or the preteXt, for
good deal OF the crushing burden
chat has been put on the publishing
business by congress. The publish
ing business does not expect, nor
would it desire, to be exempted
from the mulct which war levies on
Ill enterprises and on all industries.
But it has good reason to feel that,
in the name OF national necessity,
rhe politicians have assessed it in
spirit OF resentment and vindictive-
ness rather than that Of justice and
equity. 1t is at least debatable
whether the publishing business is
Justly subject to the same measure
of assessment that has been applied
to business enterprise generally. 1t
was the victi moi natural and large
| y inescapable causes. War itself
puts peculiar duties on newspapers
which increase their expenses. The
cost OF gathering the news is in
creased, and the millions OF dollars
worth OF advertising which war re-
quireS ii to give to the government,
while patriotic duty is none the
! less an expensive one. Both in re-
porting the progress OF the war and
in lending its facilities to the gov
ernment for the promotion OF its
endeayorS, the publishing business
is rendering public service, the
expense OF which might fairly be OF
lered i'll abatement OF some OF the
taxes which ii has been found nee
eSsary to levy on business enter
prises generally. But the newspa-
perS have not asked for any Such
exemption, Notwithstanding they
IRE sensible OF having some ground
Tor doing so. However, the govern
ment has not been as considerate OF
the publishing business as the pub
fishing business has been OF the gov
ernment. 1t has not only subject
ed the newspapers to taxes which
are levied on no other forms OF in
dustry, but, under the guise of
postal charges and regulations, it
has contrived an additional method
of mulcting them. Thus, instead OF
making allowance for the peculiar
hardships which natural and arti-
fetal causes have put upon the
newspapers, the government has
been superadding to them by meth
DDS OF its own ingenious contriy-
ance.
A policy which forbids and seeks
to prevent an exploitation of the
country's calamity, which is ami
mated by the principle that private
enterprise should not be allowed to
make a profit out of the war, is un-
asSailable and admirable. That is a
principle the newspaper publishing
business can embrace the more pas
sionately for the reason that a con
dition OF war, instead OF affording it
an opportunity to swell the profits
OF peace, swells the expenses OF
peace, and therefore is certain
blight on the normal prosperity.
But the government has not teen
content to subject the publishing
business only to that policy. 1t has
not stopped with preventing it from
making profit from the war. 1t
has made the war a prctext for de-
priying it OF the meager and pre-
carious profit it enjoyed before the
war began. Hence the tendency
: which threatens intellectual, social
and political consequences that are
not TO be contemplated with conf
placency has been stimulated by the
= arbitrary acts OF the government
And the irony OF the matter is that
what is being done in the name ol
democracy and the public welfare
must produce results that are injuri-
Gus both to democracy and to the
, public welfare.
Jules. We've crossed our carrier
pigeons with parrots, and the mes