Year: 1879

u Iue bunslOWn EAEJach.


= A strong effort was made in the leg
islature during the past winter to re-
duce the compensation for publishing
the laws in the newspapers, bat a bill
to that OBJECT was defeated in the
house by vote of 40 to 81 on mo-
tion to indefinitely postpone. The
bill had very few friends in the Senate.
The Pioneer Press worked hard to se~
cure the proposed reduction, and
heartily approved the hill to reduce
the compensation to fifty dollars for
each paper. In its editorials on that
subject that paper designated the coun-
try newspapers by the coguomen of
THE Bungtown Flapjack,' evidently
regarding that title as proper and ex~
:presslve one to apply to the country
papers. We do not refer to this as a
matter that should excite surprise, for
it IS in exact harmony with the aris>
tocratie pretensions and the sublime
egotism that have characterized the
Pioneer Press ever since the csnsoli>
dation. The cause of this harmless
hostility and overweening contempt of
the Pioneer Press toward the country
press seems to be that the country ed
itors rigidly adhere to their old habit
Of doing their own thinking, and refuse
to play second fiddle to the schemes and
vagaries of that sheet. The Pioneer
Press would like to enjoy the aattcring
distinction Of directing and controlling
all public matters in this State, but as
that paper is usually on the side of
monopolists and rlngsters, in matters
where monopolists and ringsters are
concerned, the country editors and the
public have formed habit Of regards
ing with suspicion every measure adj
vocated by it. When the legislature
convened we knew that an effort would
be made to reduce the pay for pub~
fishing the laws in the newspapers;
but when the Pioneer Press came out
strongly favoring the reduction, we
knew at once that no reduction would
be made, simply because neither the
people in general nor the members of
the legislature could be made to be-
lieve, without the most cogeot reasons,
that the Pioneer Press would earnestly
work for the passage of an honest and
just bill. Its support of any honest
measure IS usually Of the passive kind.
We accordingly rcfrained from pub
fishing anything about the bill while
it was pending, knowing that the
course Of the Pioneer Press had made
it unnecessary and We were right,
for the usual appropriation was made,
Notwithstanding the desperate protest.
ations of that paper. The amount re-
ceiyed by each paper for publishing
the laws is not large enough to pay for
making fight over it, but the animus
CT the Pioneer Press is just as appar>
ent as it would be if the question was
one Of more Importance. About the


thinnest and most senseless argument


made by the Pioneer Press is that the
publisher of the St. Paul Globe steals
a large part Of the appropriation by
printing the law supplements for the


country papers. It is true that all,


or nearly all the country papers get


their law supplements from the Globe,


but they do so only because they can


get them there on better terms than


they can from the Pioneer Press or
from any other source. There IS no


monopoly about the affair and If the


Pioneer Press cannot.compete with the


Globe in the matter of printing law


supplements, it ought at least to re-


frain from making such a row about


it. AS the country editors have usu>
ally treated the Pioneer Press with


courtesy, even while opposing it in


matters Of public interest, we can see


but one reason why it should become


so hostile as to as to apply to them, as


class, an insulting eplthet, If the


Pioneer Press regards its influence as
| as commercial commodity, to be sold
| to the highest bidder, it would natur~


ally resent the defeat of it's schemes


by the country papers,; otherwise it
wonld be willing to extend the same
courtesy that it receives.