Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-04-12
TIE Southern Press!

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tpewspapers do not succeed so well
South as at The Norih?" and as
many reasons have been assigned;
lbu, | am persuaded that the t,ue.
reasons are unknow n 10 the masses.
fIf you will give me a place h, your
papers, will ny tepcini out a lew
Iof the reasons that suggest them
selves 10 sny mind.
1. AMI the first reason that !
shall mention is, that Soniherners
have got in the habit Of patronizing
nosthernpublications simply because
a,lley are cheap, without any regard
to the quality Of the matter con-
itained III then. | confess that there
are many northern publications that
are worthy of all commendaiion,
Ebut it is notorious that many OF
them which have obtained a wide
circulation in the South, are not
tonIy worthless, but often mis-,
chieyous TO the morals of COM
munity. And some Of these are
leven published by private CON
ttribntions, SO as TO give them a wide
circulation; while a majority Of
those cIieappublications, madeup
lby transferring the type from other
papers And ! am sure ] hazard
but little when affirm that there is
none Of this class OF newspapers
/ that can compare with most Of those
lin tie South. Respectable papers
at the north, that rank in the first
class, are nearly, if not quite as high
priced as those Of the same grade in
The south. II is quite mistake, TO
suppose, that because apaper is pub
Elisled at the north that it is better
than those oil the south.
2. The second reason is, that they
usually have a much more extended
circulation, than those Of the south.
! The reason OF this is obyions, it we
! only +. feet that they have The pa
tronage Of both the north and The
south, while our southern publlca-
ltions have only meagre support
from the south. Can we wonder
at the want Of success ina sonthern
! publication, Mhcn we are testowins
all our patronage npon those OF the
no.,I.? Nearly one.lialf Of tIlepapers
! taken in this Stale, are published
NORTH Of Mason s and Dixon's line.
Thus thousands Of dollars are AN.
nuaIly sent north 10 aid in building
up large publishing establishments,
enabling them TO send forth STOOD
Of corrupt literary Trash, that ought
to have been bestowed upon our
own publications.
I We should not he astonishcdthcn
while We bestow all our suppor:
upon noriherners, that our own pub
locations should anguish and die.
/ 8. A third reason will be found
in The coursepursued by the edi'ers
and publishers Of southern NEWS
papers. You can scarcely pick up
aspaper published in the south but
iyou will find long prospectus. or
eulogistic editorial of some northern
newspaper and advising their pa
irons 10 take it. But DO they ever
find such compliments returned by
Northern papers? Never! Northern
editors often claim this much Of
their southern brethren Of the quill,
and they often submit to il for the
sake OF an exchange, thereby adj
hitting the ilferiori,y Of their own
papers. do moi pretend to say
that il is always the case, but !
know whereof ! affirm when ! say
tbatthis is often true. Having bad
some connection with the press /
speak from experience. South
ern editors need not wonder at
the meagreness OF their own SUBJ
scription list lille they coDtinneito
publish exaggerated prospectnscs
Of northern papers, and urge their
patrons to subscribe for them.
A. The fonrtl, and .Iast reason
that / shall notice is, the credit sys-
TEN so generally followed by south
Iern publishers. Nearly one-fourth
the amount. due on subscription is
generally lost by The credit system.
This sweeps away all the profits |
and farces the publisherto put his
paper at price sufficiently high 10 (
cover all such losses, orr break.
The printers debts are usually so
scattered, itwouId be worth tliewlfoie
amount TO collect them; sohe must
wait until the consciences OF bis
readers force them TO pay (Which
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