The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1919-10-23
PAPERS OF SOUTH
FLORIDA STRIKE
ALL FALL IN BEHIND DE SOTO
COUNTY PUBLISHERS
Adopt Resolutions at Orlando Meet
ing Taking a Stand for Their
Rights--No Free Publicity.

4 Inc SOutn FlOrIQa PTeGS ASSOcI-
alton went the DeSoto County Assoct-
alton one better at its meeting in Or
lando on the 11th. The South Flor
ida Association not only adopted the
resolution as recommended by the
DeSoto County Association, but add
ed an amendment charging full rate.
| instead of one-half rate, for oil publi-
city mater sent out by the various
benevolent. patriotic, memorial and
national bureaus which organiza-
tions maintain aigh salaried press
agents who load the country news
papers each week with coulmn after
coulmn of advertising copy disgusted
as news.
The Arcadia Enterprise comments
on the matter in logical way as
follows:
We are glad that the brethren of
the ink pots have at last awakened
to realize that the newspaper is not
benevolent institution altogether.
but business the same a5 that of
selling groceries, dry goods and other
junk. We give the credit for this
inevation and improvement to the
sensible brain of Editor Goolsby.
who, at the DeSoto Press Meeting in
| troduced the resolution and was the
father and moving spirit in having
the press take the stand it did.
The papers of Arcadia have In
mind some other changes relative to
the "giva away" policy, which they
are working on. They will be an
nounced in the near future. We are
sick and tired of being the goat for
every space CRATER and cfreap-john
NUT who is trying to put over money
making schemes on the public dis
guised under the sugar coat of
news This week we turned down
long-winded rigamarole from the
Director of railroads telling the dear
people why there is shortage of
! freight cars, etc. OF course, that Is
interesting to the public, but what
on earth is the idea OF asking the
papers to give about SIS worth of
time and labor letting the public
know that? Why do they not ask
the j. G.. White Engineering Com
pany to put up buildings for the
government free of charge? Just
go over the two propositions.
What Is the difference? There Is
the argument that it is our patriotic
duty. Is 1t not the patriotic duty OF
the construction company?
The whole thing is this: The
idiotic newspapermen have been the
public packhorse for 60 long that
there is nobody who has any respect
for their rights, or regard for their
interests. They have been the will
ing "Comeons" for so long that they
have ceased to be regarded &C busi-
ness men at all, and are looked on as
a sort of easy going set of asses who
are satisfied with three squares day
and a barnloft to sleep in. with a
bottle of booze thrown in now and
then.
A local newspaperman told us the
other day that he was demonstrating
with competitor about demoraliz-
ing the trade with cut-throat meth
DDS and prices, and that the other
printer told him that he was clear
ing from three to four dollars day,
SO why should he worry? Four
dollars day! Whew! what In
the name of common sense could he
do with all that money? The poor
man was years in learning the art of
printing, had several thousands . of
dollars invested, not to say anything
of possessing decidedly superior
mental gifts, which are always en-
titled to pay. The poorest ditch dig
ging negro in the country nowadays
gets almost four dollars a day.
That is what makes calamity of
the printers life. They have never
been used to anything but the. rag
ends of the business world. and they
are afraid II they get any money, by
any strange chance of fate or act of
Providence, everybody will think
they stole it. We suppose that's
it, at least The papers can do as
they please, but here is one to put IT.
self on sensible business basis. Tf
there is no money in the blamed
paper game, we are not too old to
qualify as nut-splitter in garage
or car-whacker in some railroad
shODS