Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1901 — Subscribe for THE DEMOCRAT [ARTICLE]

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About Public Printing. The Democrat believes that many of the inland country newspapers are unnecessarily alarmed over the bill introduced by Senator Burns of South Bend, which requires all legal publications to be made in two newspapers at the county seat, representing the two political parties casting the largest number of votes, aa there is no prospect of thq bill ever being favorably reported. Even a republican legislature would hardly be foolish enough to pass such a measure. There are a few pvtbli-

cations relating to county and township matters which are now so required, but in the latter case they must also be published in the township interested, if there be /a paper published therein. In addition to the publications now required to be published in the two leading papers published at the county seaijshould be included commissioners’ court and circuit court allowances. All publications relating to the out-townships should be made in papers published in those townships, if there be a paper published therein; if not, the publications should be made in the leading paper or papers at the county seat. Outside the township in which it is published the interior newspaper has a much smaller circulation than the leading county seat papers, and the object of legal publications is to give publicity. We know whereof we speak in this matter, having been engaged in newspaper publication in the interior as well as the county seat. As an example, there is not a town or township in Jasper county outside of Remington and the possible exception of Wheatfield, but The Democrat has a much larger circulation than the papers published at Remington or Wheatfield. It is right and proper for legal notices which only interest those towns or townships to be made in those papers,’and no fair-minded man will object to this. But other publications, in which the people of the whole county are interested, should be made only in county seat papers of large circulation. This, the publishers of interior newspapers should not object to. It is unnecessary to require all legal publications to be made in two papers, thus creating additional and uncalled for expense. What should be done is to put a stop to legal publications in socalled “newspapers” of practically no circulation and which do not rise to the dignity of insignificance, even. Publications are usually made .in such sheets to avoid the very object of the law requiring publication—publicity. An object lesson of the “publicity” given by publications of this character was recently shown in White county. Monon had successfully defeated every applicant for a saloon license for about two years. Applicants tried every device known to ingenious attorneys, publishing notices of application at Wolcott, Chalmers, Brookston and other points, all to no purpose. But at last they inserted the notice in the White County National, 'a “paper” almost as obsolete as the Barnacle here, and no oue saw the advertisement. The result was a license was granted and tho will of a large majority of the people of Monon tp., was defeated. Publication of legal notices in “newspapers” of such character ought to be prohibited, and if Senator Burns would get a bill through the legislature to put a stop to such frauds upon the public he would be doing the people a greater service in the way of legal publications than he could in any other way.