ఇంగ్లీషు జర్నలిజంలో తొలి తెలుగు వెలుగు
185
will, we feel certain, escape the anomalous situation in which they have been placed by some illiterate understrapper. We do not object to pay the price or value of these reports, but we protest against being ordered to pay for such reports as are given gratis to others of the fraternity.
Here we may with a justifiable flattering unction to ourselves, say that we hold a position in the eyes of the public and we are proud of it, we may not be the Jupiter or Venus of the press in brilliancy but, however humble our position in the firmament of the Fourth Estate, we revolve round our axis and we shed our light of usefulness around. Our journal has fairly criticised public measures and we claim for it the privileges granted to the local dailies and weeklies. We have said sufficient to show that the People's Friend has not been treated with that civility which has been accorded to our brother journalists. We trust our remarks will meet the eye of Lord Connemara and that His Excellency will see fit to exercise towards us the same favour that is extended to our esteemed contemporaries. Perhaps the Government is under the impression that our paper, being a weekly and our subscription small, within the means of the poorest clerk, our circulation is therefore small and our influence little. Accepting this as a fact for argument's sake the government should be more liberal to us and help us to proclaim their measures abroad with such views and criticism as the measures may call forth. We, as a native journal, however rank only next to the Hindu, in this Presidency, as far every three issues of our contemporary, we can give only one, but for independence of spirit and moderation of tone in the disposal of public questions we are sure that even the Hindu itself will give us credit, and also for industry and perseverance, for sincerity and courage and for ability to fight for the rights of the people.
VIII
Salt Tax (The People's Friend – 25th February 1888)
It is surprising that the English Press is silent in respect to the increased Salt Tax. The London Times and the radical papers have done nothing more than publish the telegrams intimating the fact of the enhanced impost. We still think that the salt duty should not be raised, as
