The Hope pioneer., 1919-03-13
THE NEWSPAPER Law

The Brinton Bill, which aims to
nuzzle and eventually kill off the in
dependent press of the state by CEN
tering all state and county legal |
printing with the League bureaus
string of papers, was enacted into
law during the closing hours of the
session, after considerable debate.
The emergency clause, attached to
the bill failed of getting the neces-I
sary two-thirds and was lost.
The law provides for one legal
in each county, instead of
three as heretofore, and in this one
paper legal notices of every descrip-
tion must be printed. The League
bureau will soon have a
paper in every county of the state,
and the Brinton bill provides that
the official papers be appointed by
the state printing commission, con-
trolled by the League leaders, and
which will name such papers as they
designate. The bill further provides
that at each general election here
after the voters of the county select
the official paper by ballot, the names
of the papers going on the ballot the
same as the names of candidates for
county office. The first election at
which the voters of the county may
name their official paper will be 1920.
BY that time the League newspaper
bureau aims to have their string of
papers so firmly established that the
independent press will not stand a
ghost of show.
The newspaper bill has some
merit; that no one can deny. But it
was enacted into law for the express
purpose of killing off the Independent
papers of the state, and to be used
as club to knock them over the
head for what they had said or might
say uncomplimentary to the League.
Had this bill been enacted into law by
legislature whose only thought was
to save money for the state and the
various counties of the state, no one
would Withhold the commentator
due. But the newspaper bill was
not part of the League program; in
fact it was very rarely mentioned be-
fore election except by Brinton and
his paid newspaper organizers and
then used by them as a threat to
intimidate newspaper owners into
selling to the League at sacrifice
We know whereof we speak, because
Mr.. Brinton himself, told us before
the legislative session began what
"our legislature would do to the in.
dependent press of the state. No, not
by the widest stretch of imagination
can the bill be considered part of the
published League program. It is the
brain child of j. w. Briton, orianiz
er of League newspapers, who had
more than forty papers established ir
as many counties of the state before
the bill was introduced. Some of the
Legislators who voted for the measure
were holders of stock in these news
paper enterprises. They used theil
vote to enrich themselves, to legis
late their competitors out of business
to establish press in this stat,
which will be 'kept" in every sens'
of the word-"kept" by the tax pay
ers and controlled by the Leagu,
newspaper bureau at St. Paul. II
fact, it will be the finest example o
a completely subsidized and kept
press ever known to history.
The Sentinel-Courier has Away
maintained fair attitude toward tn
League program. We have com
mended whenever possible, and hav
refrained from unjust criticism, bu
the newspaper law we conside
was not part of the League program
and in the passage of this bill, a
in the passage of some others, tn
League leaders took advantage o
their power to slip something owe,
not only on the legislators but o.
the people of the state as whole.
Senate Bill 157, the Brinton news
paper bill, is without question tn
most pernicious and unfair law eve
enacted in this or any other state
and we firmly believe with others
that the time will come when thos
: senators and representatives VIII
voted for it will have cause to han
t their heads in shame.
1t was with considerable regret W
noted the names Of Senator Mike
thun, and Representatives Kleir
,, Bjerke and johnson of this distric
among those who approved the bill
i, ,|-Griggs Co. Sentinel-Courier.